The School Life of Mutual Killing
by The Celestial Sky Dragon
Summary: Hope's Peak Academy was supposed to be an academy filled with hope. But instead, it was filled with nothing but Despair. Yuno thought that by getting into the academy he admired for so long, he would finally have a chance to become great, but instead he is locked inside, with Sixteen other students, forced to kill each other by a psychotic bear Will he survive or fall into despair?
1. Prologue to Despair

**A/N: Hello and welcome to my first Danganronpa fanfiction!**

 **This is actually a series I've been wanting to start for quite a while, and at one point I had a story written out, but I felt it wasn't up to par with what I could actually write. It took me around a year to finally rewrite it and came up with this new one. It's basically a rehash of Trigger Happy Havoc, but with new characters. I did replace some characters I didn't really like, well..I liked one of them but for the sake of the story, I had to replace a few others. There will be some new plot points and some people will not die, I already have the characters that will make it to the endgame, which are personal favorites of mine.**

 **So far, this story will have Seventeen students, well...eighteen including our lovable Mistress of Despair. I will try to create all new executions for the people who didn't have one, and I will try to come up with original motives, but I might just use the ones established in the game and anime just for convinience, though the results will be different.**

 **I hope you all are up for this new story, as it has been long in the making. The Prologue had to be rewritten four times before I finally settled for the finished product, it's quite long, but I hope it will hold the tides until I am able to write more. So please, stay tuned.**

 **Without further ado, I welcome you to Danganronpa: The School Life of Mutual Killing!  
**

 **I would also like to give credit to the owner of the cover photo I have chosen. I own nothing and am using it only because it fit my story perfectly. Please go support their official works, whoever it is is a very talented artist and they deserve the credit.**

 **Update: As of 6/26/17 Act 1 of The School Life of Mutual Killing has been updated, and edited...for the Prologue I have added an extended introduction for Leon and Celeste. I have also done some minor edits, so let me know what you all think...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 1

Prologue

Hope's Peak Academy stood proudly in the center of the city. The calm aura it radiated was one of hope and prosperity. Its student body were promised nothing but enlightenment once the started traversing the hallways. Each and every student that stepped through those doors would certainly be granted a life filled with hope and prosperity. It was an institution filled with the best of the best, something that would startle a lot of people, maybe even frighten them a bit.

That was the dilemma of one student, who was standing in front of the academy, dressed in his uniform.

He was fifteen years of age, and had short lilac hair, that reached to the nape of his neck. He kept it straight and smooth, not really liking the spikiness of the hairstyle he had when he was younger. He was wearing a pressed white shirt, which was tucked into his black slacks. The shirt itself wasn't anything fancy, having only a breast pocket, which held a ball point pen. He was wearing a pressed blue tie, which had Hope's Peak Academy's crest on it, near the bottom of the tie. The collar was folded down, and he wore a glittering pin, which was silver in color and displayed his status among the 79th class. The pin itself was round, and had the crest of Hope's Peak Academy centered on it. Under it was a small chain, holding a little number 79 on it, below it, was a smaller little plaque with the word class on it.

Instead of formal shoes, he was wearing a pair of black leather boots, that reached to his calves. He didn't like wearing formal shoes often. He also wore his violet archery glove on his left hand, which he had deemed his lucky glove, do to how many competitions he had won with it. Slung across his back was a violet quiver, filled arrows, the fletchlings of which were orange in color. They were only practice arrows, so he had to leave the orange fletchlings on. He had a black suitcase in his hand, containing his clothes. Sitting next to him was a black case, which held his hunting bow.

His name was Yunosuke Nagahama, and he held the title of Ultimate Archer. He had been scouted by Hope's Peak Academy after he won his sixth national tournament. He had won the record for most consecutive bulls-eyes, and had also gotten a trophy for destroying targets with an arrow at a thousand feet out, a feat which is very difficult for some. The academy knew he had talent, and had personally scouted him for the Main Course.

However, even if he was the Ultimate Archer, he wasn't the Ultimate in all academic feats. He still had trouble with subjects like Mathematics and World History, but he wasn't going to let that ruin his time at the academy. He was ready to take on the hardships that came with being an Ultimate Student.

He took a deep breath, looking up at the academy. The symbol of hope, one of the most prestigious schools in the entire world, and he had been lucky to attend it. The classes were tough, and the exams tougher, even the exams for his field were tough, but he had been able to pass a decent amount of them.

"Well...here I am. Even though I was here last week, I can't help but still feel intimidated when I see you." he said, as if the building would respond to him.

The school building stood five stories tall, and had all sorts of facilities, including a large chemistry lab, a physics lab, and even a green house. It also held an Olympic sized swimming pool, which the Ultimate Swimmers and Ultimate Lifeguards really enjoyed. When he had been scouted to attend the academy, he had been able to explore quite a bit of the campus, but he honestly didn't remember where anything was located. He had been to entranced by the Ultimate Students, who all looked at him with judging eyes.

"Alright then, enough dicking around. It's time to face the music and get ready for my first semester. Just watch Hope's Peak, I will become one of the best alumni to ever walk down your halls." he announced, and with that, he grabbed his things and took his first steps back into the school grounds.

As he walked though, he started to feel nauseous. He didn't know why, but he just felt like throwing up in the nearest trash can. He looked at the doors to the foyer, trying to hurry his steps toward them, but that's when everything started becoming a swirling mess. A second later, everything went black.

A groan escaped his lips, as his eyes finally opened. He didn't know how long it had been, but when he woke up, he realized that he was sleeping at a school desk. As his vision cleared, he looked around, seeing several other desks around him. Looking ahead, he saw a chalkboard, with a few words written on it.

" _Don't be late for Orientation! Remember, your brand new Semester at Hope's Peak Academy starts at 8:00 sharp!"_

"Orientation? That's right...I came to Hope's Peak for orientation today." he suddenly said.

He rubbed his eyes, shaking the sleep out of his system. He had to wonder why it was that he had been so tired. He didn't even remember making it to this classroom. He stood up, glancing at the windows, expecting to see the bright sun streaming through them, instead he saw nothing but large metal plates, being held together by equally large screws. His eyes widened as he walked toward them. He rose a shaky hand to it, rasping his knuckles on the cold metal.

"What the...is this real iron plating?" he muttered to himself.

He noticed the three other windows in the room were in the same state. A sense of dread filled his now racing mind. He looked around, spotting a very high tech looking surveillance camera. It looked inactive, but somehow he could tell someone was looking at him. The classroom was empty, save for himself. He picked up the overturned chair, setting it back in place, and walked to the front of the room, glancing at the teachers desk.

"Nothing, no papers. No files detailing the curriculum...something's not right." he muttered to himself. He glanced at the board, seeing the message up close. On impulse, he looked at the clock, eyes widening.

"Shit, it's already 8:05. I'm gonna get hounded so bad." he said, heading toward the doors.

He slid them open, slowly making his way out into the other wise quiet hall. He took notice that the room he had been in was classroom 1-C. He knew he was part of the incoming 79th class but, he didn't remember anything about the students that were supposed to be in said class. Now that he put more thought into it, he didn't remember much of himself.

He swallowed hard, coming to a brisk stop next to the Nurses Office. A bead of sweat started slowly falling down the side of his face. He closed his eyes in thought, trying to figure out something.

His name was Yunosuke Nagahama. He was Sixteen years old, a Freshman in Hope Peak's Academy's 79th class. He was chosen as the Ultimate Architect. His parents were...

That's where it drew a blank. He didn't remember anything about his mother or this father. Nothing at all. It was startling to think about, the fact that the two most important people in his world were suddenly gone, it made him sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes again, trying to think.

"Come on, there has to be something else...I...remember my sister...but what was her name? Was she older? Or younger? And who's the little girl with the bubblegum pink hair?"

He realized he asked those questions aloud when he heard his voice echo through the empty hall. His voice, while slightly deep with age, was also filled with fear and worry. His body shook a bit, and he took a shaky breath. Aside from his family, he didn't remember anything else. Not his Junior High School, nor the Competitions he knew he won, nor his Archery Club members. He didn't remember faces, voices, names...nothing. The only thing he was definitely sure of was that he had a sister.

"My sister, she was...older right? What was her name?" he muttered, placing a finger on his chin. He closed his eyes again, willing the memory into the forefront of his mind, but nothing would surface. He clenched his hands, feeling lost.

"I can't believe this." he said angrily, wanting to punch the nearby post. He heard a chuckle behind him, and instantly turned around. His eyes landed on a young man, around the same age as him.

He was wearing an army green hoodie, which was zipped all the way up. It had a few red designs on them. He wore a black blazer over it, with golden buttons. There was a crescent moon on his lapel, and Yuno briefly wondered if it was a decorative pin. He was wearing a pair of black pants, with a black belt around his waist. He also donned a pair of worn out red sneakers. He had spiky brown hair, with a ridiculous ahoge sticking out from it. He had a curious face himself, which was also etched in worry.

"Are you alright?" he asked, stopping next to the startled teen. He gave a weary nod, focusing on the shorter teen beside him.

"That's good. I heard you muttering to yourself and wanted to make sure you were alright. You just woke up in an empty classroom right?" he asked.

"Um yeah. Did that also happen to you?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah,I don't know why I woke up there. The only thing I remember was coming to school this morning." the young man said, voice laced with worry.

"Same here. Oh man, we're really late." Yuno said, turning heel and heading to the Gymnasium. The brown haired teen followed suit.

"Hey, my name is Makoto Naegi."

"Yunosuke Nagahama, nice to meet you Makoto." the purple haired teen replied.

They finally reached the gym, stopping in front of the wooden doors. They heard several voices behind them, some laced with worry and others with anger. The two boys shared a look before Yuno gasped the door handles. He pulled them down, pushing the doors open. They were blinded by the lights for a few seconds, before clearing up.

"Hey, two more of them." a voice said.

"It's about damn time you showed up, enjoy the nap?" a sharper voice cried out.

Yuno tried to find the source of the voice, before his vision was filled with white. It was in fact a white uniform, belonging to a black haired young man. He stood a few inches taller than Yuno and Makoto, and had sharp looking eyebrows, as well as glowing red eyes. His shirt was firmly pressed, and held several buttons and medals on them. He wore matching white pants, along with black leather boots. His face seemed to be filled with annoyance.

"You two, do you know what time it is?"

"Um, eight am?" Makoto replied.

"Wrong! It is actually _8:12_ am. You two are twelve minutes late, what do you have to say for yourselves?" he snapped. This was Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass.

"Hey, give us a break. We just woke up in a couple of classrooms with no idea where the fuck we were. What do you want us to do?" Yuno shouted, quite angry with the young man before him.

"That is no reason to be late. I'll have to tell the principle about your tardiness. Also remember, foul language is not welcome in a school environment." he said, walking off. Yuno grit his teeth, glancing at the bleachers in anger.

"Wake up in an empty classroom, can't remember shit and now I get written up? Fucking perfect." he muttered, walking off with a rather pissed off look on his face. Makoto watched him go, rather worried.

"So, with you two that makes Seventeen, what an odd number for a welcoming ceremony." came the reply of a black haired young woman. She was wearing a Gothic Lolita dress, and had her hair styled in long black twin drills. She had bright red eyes, and was wearing golden bell earrings. She also had a silver claw on one of her fingers. This was Celestia Ludenburg, the Ultimate Gambler.

"That is weird. You two are freshmen right? Just like the rest of us?" an orange hair boy asked.

He was wearing a long white jacket, along with a zombie tee shirt underneath. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with a studded belt. He finished his lock with a pair of black sneakers. This was the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata.

"Of course I am. Aren't all of you freshman too?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Stop shouting, you are damaging the esteemed ears of Byakuya Togami."

Makoto glared at the next young man, who stood at an even Six feet. He had short blond hair, and was wearing a thin pair of glasses. He was wearing a sharply pressed black suit, with a white undershirt. He wore matching black slacks and polished leather shoes. This was Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

"Jeez, stop acting all high and mighty. You are in the same situation as us, so like...embrace it. Okay?" a new voice added.

This one game from a beautiful slender young woman, who had long bleached blonde hair, held up into ponytails with a rabbit hair tie and a red and white bow. She wore a light purple button down shirt, with a red tank top underneath. She wore a short skirt and matching platform boots. She also wore a tie around her neck, though it hung loosely and not fully secured onto her neck. This was the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima.

"Arguing is not welcome in a school environment." Kiyotaka shouted, pointing at the two bickering teens. Byakuya scoffed and walked away, muttering things under his breath.

As Makoto looked around, he couldn't help but wonder if these students before them were the fabled Ultimates that Hope's Peak Academy revered so much. He spotted a few other familiar faces, from the forum he had read the night before.

Yuno on the other hand decided to take a seat at one of the bleachers, to focused on his missing memories to care about the other students. After giving up on finding anything about himself at that moment, he decided to look around the room. Aside from a few misplaced sport's balls, he noticed another high tech looking camera. He noticed a monitor on the other side of the stage. The podium on stage held the academy's crest, in bright bold black. He found it rather intimidating now. Was this truly the academy he had admired for so long? Now that he thought about it, he forgot the reason why he wanted to be part of Hope's Peak Academy. He sighed, pursing his lips.

"Aw, why so down?"

Yuno looked up, meeting eyes with a brunette. Her bright blue eyes were filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Her long brown hair was tied in an upward ponytail, held up by several white hair clips. She was wearing a red varsity jacket, with a white tank top underneath. She wore a pair of blue running shorts, along with matching white socks and blue sneakers. He noticed she had a band aid on her knee. This was the Ultimate Swimmer, Aoi Asahina.

Realizing she had asked him a question, he quickly shook his head, offering her a small smile.

"I'm not down perse. It's just...this is all really weird...this academy isn't known for pulling tricks like this." he said, glancing at all of the shudders. They seemed welded down to the ground for some reason.

"Tell me about it, me and Sakura have tried everything we could to open them, but we can't do anything. We wanted to see the running track." she said.

"Sakura?" he asked curiously.

"That would be me." a stern voice said.

Yuno looked behind him, seeing a tall muscular woman behind him. She had long white hair, reaching down to her waist. She was wearing a button down shirt, though the sleeves had been ripped clean off. She wore a pleated blue skirt, along with white socks and tennis shoes. He recognized her as Sakura Oogami, the Ultimate Wrestler. He gulped a bit, seeing the scars on her arms and face. She let out a chuckle, crossing her arms.

"Worry not, I will not hurt you. Though I wouldn't mind having a spar." she said.

"No thanks...I don't want a broken back." he said, making Asahina laugh.

"Say, what's your name? I've already met everyone else, everyone but you that is."

"Oh right...my name is Yunosuke Nagahama, Ultimate Archer." he said. Asahina nodded, taking his hand. She ended up spelling his name on his palm three times, making him look at her weird.

"What was that about?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I do that so I can remember peoples names. If you write their name three times on their palm, you'll definitely remember it." she said cheerfully.

"Hmm...that's an interesting outlook. Well, you can call me Yuno if you wish...it's better than saying my full name." he said.

"Cool, you can call me Hina for short, I'm pretty sure you already know this but I'm the Ultimate Swimmer." she said.

"I'm familiar with you. I remember hearing about one student being scouted by the Olympics for their expert swimming skills. It seems you aren't the only one, I received a letter from them as well, wanting me to participate in the Archery competition." he said.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Yeah...it's pretty cool I guess." he said, looking at the floor.

" _It's also one of the very few things about myself I was able to fully remember...but you don't need to know that."_

"I believe we have some very pressing matters concerning this Entrance Ceremony, especially the fact that there are only seventeen of us. Class 76 and 77 should be here to welcome us correct?" Sakura said, earning a nod from Yuno.

"That's what I'm saying. I'm not sure if they are ever going to show up though. Whatever the case, it's best if we familiarize ourselves with our fellow classmates no? It may answer some questions we may be asking ourselves." he said.

"That's not a bad idea. Let's go Sakura, we'll catch you later Yuno." Hina said, walking off toward a small group of people. Being again once more, Yuno decided to follow his own advice, approaching the first person he saw was next to the bleachers.

This young man was several inches taller than him, and very muscular, though he was wearing a long black studded jacket. He wore a white muscle shirt underneath it. He was wearing a pair of worn jeans, with slip on shoes. His brown hair was styled into a pompadour. He glared at Yuno once he was close enough to him.

"What the fuck do you want?" he asked.

"Uh...I just came to introduce myself. Yunosuke Nagahama, Ultimate Archer."

"S-sorry. This whole situation has me on edge. Names Mondo Oowada, Ultimate Biker." he said, shaking the teen's hand.

"So, did you find anything worth noting?" he asked. The man shook his head, giving his pompadour a slight shake as well.

"Not really...woke up in some storage room with nothing but the clothes on my back. It's weird because I remember coming to school early this morning, even though I wanted to ditch for the arcade." he said.

"Ahuh, anything else? It may be beneficial to us in some way."

"I already told you, that's the only thing I remember. Now beat it, I want to be alone." he said. Yuno rose his hands in defense, walking away from the pissed off biker.

Having another run in with Kiyotaka, he found out the teen had woken up in the west hallway near a place called Despair Hotel. It was rather weird, considering the classroom Yuno himself had woken up in was next to that place, but he didn't bother checking it out. He also had a one sided conversation with Byakuya Togami, finding out this was something that the academy didn't normally do, and was betting top dollar that this was a publicity stunt of some sort.

Moving on from him, he decided to approach a pair of boys, who were lost in conversation. The first was wearing a plaid red shirt, and was wearing a yellow hardhat. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear, just below his short black hair. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, which had a few specks of white paint. He finished his looks with a pair of yellow and tan work boots. In his hands was a notebook, which had a few pieces of blue paper sticking out of it.

The boy next to him was a few inches taller than him, and was wearing a poofy white hat. He had short brown hair, sticking out of his hat. He was wearing a pressed white shirt, with a black suit vest, and a matching blue tie, which had Hope's Peak Academy's crest on it. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and matching non slip shoes, around his waist was a red apron, folded in half and tied around the waist. He stopped before the two of them, listening in on a bit of their conversation.

"I'm telling you man, without knowing the spot where the shutter operating system is, there is no way of opening them. Besides the area around them have been reinforced with thick concrete and the shutters themselves seem welded down to the ground." he said.

"And the windows?" the other boy asked.

"Thick iron plating, with reinforced metal screws, the length of which I am not certain. The walls around them have also been reinforced with thicker concrete bars, let's face it, whoever did this doesn't want us getting out of here." the hardhat wearing teen said. Finally taking notice of him, they turned around to greet him.

"Oh hey, it's Sleeping Beauty." the hat wearing teen said.

"So you were the one who called me and Makoto that?" Yuno asked curiously.

"Yeah, what of it?" the teen said, rather defensively.

"Hey man, I mean you no harm. I heard you talking about the shutters and the metal plating on the windows, figure out who did it?" he asked.

"Pfft, as if! The ones who did it didn't waste any funding however, and that's what makes this worrying. I don't know what materials went into making them, but they can be exploited. After all, I have designed buildings in the past, and I can assure you, every building no matter how well its built, has an access to the outside." he said firmly.

"Hopefully they have a kitchen though. I'm dying for a Mountain Dew, hopefully they have some. Oh oh, and I can make some cupcakes as well. You like cupcakes right?" the teen asked.

"Duh, who doesn't like cupcakes?" Yuno replied.

"Good, good great! Anyway, names Nicholas McFay, I'm a Canadian Exchange student. Where I come from, I'm known as the Ultimate Baker." he said proudly.

"Hope's Peak Academy has an exchange program?" he asked confused.

"Duh, Hope's Peak Academy has other branches in different parts of the world. I myself am an exchange student from Morning Hope High School, located in Adelbourough Nebraska. Names Bryce Kotenok by the way, Ultimate Architect." he said, shaking the teen's hand.

"Hope's Peak having different branches huh? Didn't know anything about that." Yuno muttered quietly.

"Yup, I'm from Hope Hills Academy in Vancouver Canada. Before you say it, no I don't have a Canadian accent. I lived with my dad in New Hampshire for seven years so I never developed it." Nick said, earning a chuckle from Yuno.

"I wasn't gonna ask about that at all. Since you are exchange students, that means you are from Class 79 right? If so then welcome, I'm part of that class as well." he said, showing them the commemorative pin, which was attached to the collar of his shirt.

"You got a pin? That's bogus...I didn't get anything like that. You, I demand you hand it over!" Bryce said, reaching for the pin.

"Hey back off! I got this for my enrollment, it's special to me and I am not letting anyone take it." he snapped, clearly angry.

"Heh, whatever. I don't want a stupid pin like that anyway, it's a complete eyesore." Bryce said, walking off in a huff. Nick sighed.

"Sorry about him, he's usually not like that. We rode on the same plane here and got to know each other a bit, it seems he's only ever credited for building important buildings, never for his actual merits in sports or academics. You'll have to excuse him." he said, and with that he walked off, possibly to talk to a few other students.

After that little scramble, Yuno decided to continue introducing himself to his classmates. He met the Ultimate Gambler, Celestia Ludenberg. She had been standing by herself, a firm look on her face. Although as soon as she saw Yuno, she adopted a smile, linking her fingers underneath her chin.

"It seems we haven't met yet, my name is Celestia Ludenberg."

"Hello, my name is Yunosuke Nagahama, you may call me Yuno." he said, shaking her hand.

"Well then Yuno, I would like it if you call me Celeste."

He looked the girl over, his eyes tracing her every feature. He noticed her skin color was a bit paler than everyone else, especially for someone who had a German name.

"Is something wrong? Do you find me alluring? I do have that effect in people." she said, a smile on her face.

"No...um...I don't want to sound like a dick or anything, but are you Japanese?"

"Why yes I am, is something wrong?" she asked, head tilted in curiosity.

"Well...you're name doesn't fit with your entire...everything. If it isn't any trouble, what's your real name?" he asked.

"Celestia Ludenberg is my real name." she replied. He rose a brow, remaining silent.

" _So, that silver tongue really is real...I can't believe she lied to my face so calmly."_ he thought to himself.

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to beat you in a game if I want that name." he said, her eyes flashing a bit.

"That's a gamble I'm willing to take dear Yuno. Perhaps a good game of Mahjong will do, if you are capable of handling it." she said.

"Deal, we'll find a board and play it later."

"Excellent, I do hope we become friends while attending the academy. Don't disappoint me!"

He met the Ultimate Programmer after that, the small girl, who was wearing a long sleeve green sweater, along with a white undershirt, and an army green skirt, greeted him with a smile. Even in their current situation, she was very scared, but wanted to be strong and confident enough to pass through high school without incident. They talked about a few things that involved complex coding, but Yuno was so lost that he begged her to stop. She giggled, saying Programming wasn't for everyone and took a lot of math and technical no how to achieve. He left her to her own devices wanting to meet with the others he had yet to talk to.

He wasn't expecting to see someone as famous as Junko Enoshima within Hope's Peak Academy. He had heard rumors of her being part of the alumni, but actually seeing up close was startling. For one, being in the presence of someone like a famous Fashionista, was a dream to some. She looked up from her mirror, a bored look on her face.

"Hello there. I'm Yunosuke Nagahama, the Ultimate Archer. It's an honor to meet you Miss Enoshima." he said, giving a polite bow.

"Like, there's no need to bow to me. I'm not that important." she said, closing her pocket mirror and shoving it in her blouse. He tried not to look there but found himself staring all the same.

"Sorry, It's just a polite thing to do." he said.

"I came here to be away from it all, so please don't treat me like a goddess. I'm just a high school girl now. OMG, we have got to do something about that shirt and pants combo. It is so totally lame. We need to get you into some skinny jeans, ASAP." she said, looking him over quite closely. He chuckled, looking at his choice of attire.

"I never really thought about my clothes, I think they suit me." he said.

"Egh, lame. I'm thinking...torn plaid shirt, violet skinny jeans, and black buckle boots. Maybe a studded belt and some finger-less gloves, that would totally suit you better than this, average Joe attire." she said. Yuno blushed a bit, since the Fashionista was closely looking at every single detail of his attire. He looked at her face a couple of times, seeing a few freckles he hadn't noticed before. And now that he was actually looking at her, he noticed her eye color was slightly off.

"I...didn't know you had freckles." he said. She looked into his eyes, backing away from him. She narrowed her eyes a bit.

"I usually cover them in make up and junk, and most of the pictures out there are like...photoshopped, so they hide my imperfections. There's a lot of other things that the fashion industry does to their models you know." she said, crossing her arms.

"That's...right I suppose." he said, lost in thought.

"Hmm, I like you Yuno...you can hang out with me later if you wish. Maybe I can dress you for success. You know, better clothes may actually get you laid." she said with a wink. Yuno blushed a bit, looking away from her.

"Hehe, I honestly doubt that will happen in high school. But sure, I'd love to get to know you better."

"Good, and call me Junko, not Miss Enoshima, it makes me sound old." she said.

After their parting, Yuno decided to talk to Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star. The orange haired boy was standing by himself, a hand on his chin as he was lost in thought. He glanced down, jumping back a bit when he saw Yuno.

"You startled me man, next time say something." he replied.

"Sorry, names Yuno...you're Leon Kuwata right? That kid that every baseball team is drooling over?"

"Pretty much yeah...I'm really good at baseball, never really went to practice either." He replied.

" _He didn't go to practice? He must be really good if he's that confident."_

"You must be wondering why I didn't go right? It just didn't bother...I mean I'm that good already. I did all of that practice shit in Middle school and our coach did that too. To be honest with you, I don't want to really care for the sport, I want to be a rock star."

"A...rock star?" Yuno asked curiously. Leon nodded, his spikes shaking a bit as he did.

"Music is where it's at for me. I used my Ultimate Baseball Star talent to get into Hope's Peak Academy, but I'm going to switch later on. Hey, do you think Sayaka will give me pointers? She is the Ultimate Pop Sensation." he said, glancing at the blue haired girl speaking with Makoto.

"Who's Sayaka?" I asked curiously. Leon started sputtering, his eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"You don't know who Sayaka Maizono is? She's like the most popular starlet this side of Japan. She's been on the rise recently and has already released three major albums. She was going on tour when the scout for Hope's Peak asked her to come here. Come on man, you've got to be fucking with me."

"Sorry man, I truly don't know anything about her...I've been...out of the country a lot...yeah. Archery tournaments and all, I have to do a lot of traveling, so I don't really focus on music."

"Well shit, I'm sorry to hear that...you've been missing out. I got some music on my phone and my MP3 player, so maybe we can listen to some later." Leon said.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind hanging out later on. It was nice meeting you, I got some other people to introduce myself too." he said.

"Nice meeting you too Yuno, try not to insult Sayaka with your lack of knowledge." he said, a smirk on his face.

Yuno sighed, rolling his eyes.

The last group of people he had yet to talk to was standing near the far side of the gym, near the doors. He actually recognized Makoto among the small group of three. Standing next to him was a blue haired girl, wearing what he could only describe as a sailor outfit. She was wearing a button down white shirt, with a light blue ascot. She wore a matching pleated skirt, with black shoes and white socks.

Standing next to them was a shy looking girl, who was biting her bottom lip, eyes closed tightly. She was messing with the bandages around her left wrist, and Yuno briefly wondered if she had hurt herself. She was wearing a light pink shirt, with a matching lavender skirt. She was also wearing a pair of white socks and matching white shoes. He noticed she was wearing some bandages around her right leg, tightly fastened with silver clips. Her long purple hair seemed to be cut at awkward angles, almost like someone took a pair of scissors to it. He noticed she was wearing a white apron, with a red cross on it. He also noticed a few things sticking out of the pockets, the most prominent being a green stethoscope, and a pack of band aids. She opened her eyes, letting out a small eep and backing away from him.

"Don't hurt me." she said.

"Whoa...chill out girl, I'm not going to hurt you." he said, trying to calm her down a bit, though this didn't so much.

"Don't worry about her. Seems like she's a little skittish in nature." Makoto said.

"I can see that." he said.

"Good to talk to you again, how are you doing? Remember anything about yourself?" he asked. Yuno's eyes widened a bit, and quickly narrowed.

"How did you figure that out?" he asked firmly.

"I-I heard you in the hall so I figured it was amnesia or something." he said, growing frightful. Yuno sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, I can't hide it forever. It's true, I don't remember much about myself, other than what I did this morning in the front gates, what's happening now, my name and the fact that I have an older sister. Everything else is a blank." he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Must be pretty tough on ya huh?"

"A little bit. Say, I never told you my title right?" he asked.

"Now that you mention it, no you didn't." Makoto said.

"Well, I'm the Ultimate Archer. I got scouted by this school at around the same time I was scouted by the Olympics to join their Archery team, I declined of course." he said.

"Wow, the Olympics, that's pretty neat."

"Yeah, its the only major thing I remember. Perhaps I should have accepted, then I wouldn't be in this mess." he said, glancing away from the brown haired teen.

He caught the stern gaze of another student.

She seemed to be around his age, perhaps slightly older than him. She had long lavender colored hair, almost the same shade as his own. She was wearing a violet blazer, with a white button down shirt underneath. She wore a violet pleated skirt, along with matching leather boots. She had a tie secured around her neck, bearing a few designs on them, one of them being an eagle in flight, slightly above the school's crest. She had a small strand of braided her next to her left ear, held up by a thin black ribbon. The small hair tie at the end of the strand had a small glittering butterfly on it. They looked at each other for a solid three seconds, before she walked off, probably to look around some more. He felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Something wrong?" Makoto asked. Yuno shook his head.

"That girl...nevermind." he said, shaking his head.

"Um...well since you just told me your title, I may as well share mine. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student." he said.

"Ultimate Lucky Student? The academy is letting people in on the pretense of luck?" he asked.

"Supposedly, it's a real talent. Not to me though, I seem to have bad luck all the time. I mean, look at my current dilemma." he deadpanned. Yuno placed a hand under his chin, narrowing his eyes.

" _The fact that Hope's Peak would let someone in on the pretense of luck is something unlike them. Have they lost their edge or? Nah, there has to be something. But seriously, something as superstitious as luck?"_

He felt someone looking at him and looked up, meeting eyes with the blue haired girl from before. He was about to say something when she beat him to the punch.

"I think luck is a pretty silly thing myself. Although, I say that because I'm rather unlucky. Well, I did win the prize at one of those claw machines when I was six." she said, glancing at the ceiling.

"How did you know that?" he asked, getting the girls attention. She gave him a serious look.

"Because, I'm Psychic."

"What!?"

"Kidding. Just kidding." she said, sticking her tongue out at him. He let out a breath, shaking his head.

"Jeez, I thought you were being serious there for a second. I thought all my darkest secrets were suddenly exposed." he said, although he had amnesia, so he didn't exactly have secrets to hide.

"Hehe, it's a joke between friends. My name is Sayaka Maizono, I'm the Ultimate Pop Sensation." she said.

"She's a big idol right now. Funny thing is, we actually went to the same Junior High School. What are the odds we would meet here right?" Makoto asked.

"Must be that Ultimate Luck you possess." Yuno said giving him a playful wink. He let out a laugh.

"If only, have you heard any of her music?" he asked.

"Um...sorry...I don't remember if I did or not. Don't take it as an insult or anything. I'm sure your music is lovely." he said. The girl shook her head, waving her hands before her.

"No no, I caught that last bit where you said you had amnesia, so I don't blame you. It must be hard on you right?" she asked.

"Eh, I don't let it bother me. I mean, it is rather taxing on my mind, being unable to recognized anything about myself, other than the information I seem to have. It is a little awkward when I think about it...such specific information too." he said, a frown on his face.

"Well, amnesia seems to work in various ways. Sometimes, very important things about a person are the things that are forgotten, other times, its a lot of insignificant details. Sometimes its a mixture of both, with only information relating to your current situation stays present." the purple haired girl said, rather firmly. Yuno looked at her curiously, and upon realizing the attention she called to herself, she seemed to take a step back.

"I'm sorry. I hijacked your conversation...if you'd like you can hit me, or spit in my face." she said.

"What the fuck?" Yuno snapped, seemingly scaring her.

"Don't hit me." she said, raising her arms up in defense.

"We're not going to hurt you. He was just surprised, we weren't expecting you to be so knowledgeable." Sayaka said, easing the girl a bit.

"W-well...I-I am the Ultimate Nurse." she said softly.

"The Ultimate Nurse huh? That explains the bandages then. My name is Yunosuke Nagahama, the Ultimate Archer...nice to meet you."

"I uh...my name is Mikan Tsumiki. Is...is it okay if I remember your name?" she asked.

"Sure...how would we address each other if you didn't? Though if it's easier, call me Yuno." he said.

"O-okay. Y-you know...I thought of 5,000 different topics for after introductions." she said.

" _5,000...that's a little too much don't you think?"_ Yuno thought to himself.

"We can talk about anything. Don't worry about it." he said, flashing her a bright smile.

"Oh um...from the bottom of my heart, I hope we grow to be great friends." she said brightly. He didn't know why, but Yuno found himself smiling wider when he heard this.

"So, where exactly is this headmaster at? When the hell is the Ceremony supposed to begin?" Mondo shouted, glancing at the podium.

"That is a very good question. If this is all their going to do then I would rather go home, the time of the esteemed Byakuya Togami is very valuable." the Ultimate Affluent Progeny said.

"I don't like social interaction." came the reply of the young woman next to him.

She stood a few inches shorter than he did. She was wearing a violet colored shirt, and a very long skirt, that reached to her ankles. She wore matching black shoes. Her long violet hair was braided into two long braids. She had round glasses, and was shaking uncontrollably. Yuno recognized her as Touko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. The girl had avoided him earlier, but it seemed she couldn't avoid conversation now.

"Yes, I would much rather start classes. Standing around here and not learning anything is bad, we need to embrace the enriching virtues of high school." Kiyotaka said.

"Oh boy, that sounds exciting." Bryce said, in a sarcastic manner, though this seemed to fly over the Moral Compass's head.

"It should be, learning is very welcome in a school environment." he replied.

" _Excuse me, can you all hear me? Mic check one two...I know all of you can hear me now."_

As the grating voice boomed through the speakers, everyones attention was turned toward the podium in the center of the stage. They were expecting a man, in a sharply pressed suit, with an assistant next to him or something, but instead, what they got was something much different. Appearing from out of nowhere, was a small black and white bear. It hopped up onto the podium, startling everyone in the room. It's colors seemed to split it directly in half, the left being white, and the right being black. It's mouth turned into a sharp toothy grin on the right side. It also had a vibrant red eye, which resembled a camera lens of sorts. He rose its stubby arms into the air, a smile on its face.

"Hello and welcome one and all to Hope's Peak Academy. I am your headmaster, Monokuma. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a teddy bear, I am just Monokuma." he said proudly.

"Uh...what the hell is this?" Mondo asked. The bear tilted its head, glaring at the biker.

"This is your Entrance Ceremony. I am here to welcome you to your new lives at the worlds most prestigious academies. I hope everything so far is to your liking."

"Like hell it is. Look at all the shutters, the goddamn metal plates, the fuck is the meaning of all that?" Bryce asked, glaring daggers at the bear.

"Oh yeah, that is to ensure none of you will leave campus. It's part of the new semester here. Let's just say, that all of you are here because you all are the worlds uprising hope. You need to be protected, and so, you will all start your new lives here in Hope's Peak Academy. For how long you'll be staying here you might ask? Well...that is actually indefinite." he said

"Indefinite?" Nick asked firmly.

"Okay...alright. You've had your fun, we've all had a laugh and what not...why don't you cut the theatrics and get the camera crew in here. This is a joke...a big fat lazy joke that no one but you finds funny." Leon said, getting the bears attention.

"This isn't a joke spiky. From here on out, leaving campus is absolutely forbidden. From now on all of you will live a communal lifestyle here within the academy. So make sure you all start building those relationships, they are important things after all. I wanna see tykes running around, you know...maybe." he said, waving the statement off.

"You know, for a bear you have a fucked up sense of humor." Yuno said, crossing his arms.

"I already said I wasn't a bear. I am Monokuma, your headmaster." he snapped, glaring at the violet haired archer.

"You can't hold us here against our will, it's unfair, unjust and totally illegal. You have no right." Hina said, pointing at the bear.

"Hmm...that is true...but who am I to stop you from getting your so deserved freedom. If you want to leave, then you can go ahead...but that's only possible if you follow the Graduation Clause." he said.

"The what?" Celeste asked curiously. She was playing with a small strand of hair between her fingers.

"Well, its quite simple really. Those of you who want to graduate can do so, by committing good old fashioned murder." he said, jumping off the podium to the wooden floor of the gym.

All of the students looked at the bear flabbergasted. Was this for real. Sweat started dripping down Yuno's forehead, but he was too in shock to think of wiping it off.

"That's right, if any of you want to taste the sweet out doors, you'll have to kill someone. Stabbing, shooting, bludgeoning, poisoning, burning, drowning, choking, know any magic or hexes? Then curses work too. Anything you can think of, be as creative as you want. Those who successfully do it, will be free from the academy to live their normal boring lives."

"Please, you cannot force something such as murder upon us. This is all a farce." Byakuya scoffed.

"Well, make sure your esteemed ears get a listen to this. This is all 100% real." he said.

"Oh really? You think so?" Mondo said, getting down to the bear's level. Monokuma smirked, widening its grin.

"Course I do, and there's nothing you can do about it Pompadour." he said. Mondo grit his teeth, his hand grasping the bears neck rather tightly. He lifted him up effortlessly. Monokuma squirmed in his grasp.

"What if I rip you to shreds? You'd have to let me out then."

"Stop, serious harm to the headmaster is strictly forbidden." Monokuma shouted, before falling limp. Its eye started to blink, a low beep emanating from its insides.

"Not so tough now eh little punk?" Mondo said, feeling superior about the situation. The beeping and blinking started increasing, becoming louder and louder.

"Get rid of it, now!" the violet haired girl said, glaring at Mondo.

"Don't tell me what to do." he said.

"Throw it, it's a bomb!" she cried out, worry etched on her face. Hearing the word bomb, the Ultimate Biker was quick to get rid of it. The small bear exploded, flaming shreds slowly falling to the ground, a small plume of smoke and sulfur filled the air.

"Holy shit." Mondo muttered, completely unaware of the fact that if that had blown up in his hand, he would be dead, along with the rest of the people next to him.

"Well, that was a doozy...and it would have been bad." Monokuma suddenly said, reappearing on top of the podium. A sharp scream from Mikan confirmed that none of them were hallucinating the entire thing.

"Well, I suppose I can let that one slide, seeing as you didn't know the rules, but now that you do, you better think twice about it. Well, I think I've said everything I wanted to say. So if you all truly want to leave, then you'll have to kill someone, and do it really well, lazy murders aren't entertaining. That concludes the official Entrance Ceremony and Orientation. I hope you all enjoy your time here at Hope's Peak Academy, the fire doors and emergency exits are to your sides...oh wait, they've been welded shut. Upupupupupu!"

With that, the bear took it's leave. The seventeen students were left there speechless, trying to comprehend just what the fuck had taken place before them. The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Yuno swallowed hard, lifting a shaky hand to wipe the sweat off his brow. He looked next to him, seeing Mikan was in tears, small muffled cries being held back by her hands.

"This isn't real...this can't be happening." Leon muttered, enough for a few people too hear it.

"Well believe it asshole. We're all trapped in here with nowhere to go and nothing to do. You best get used to it." Bryce said.

"Hey, no need to be an asshole about it." Mondo shot back, earning a scoff from the architect. Kiyotaka grit his teeth, sweat dripping from his face.

"A task as senseless as killing...who would have thought?" he said.

"Don't worry guys, we have to be hopeful. Soon enough someone is bound to notice we're missing. It's only been an hour sure, but there is no one someone would drive by here and not notice the metal plating on the windows." Nick said optimistically.

"We don't even know if this is Hope's Peak Academy. We could very well be somewhere else." Junko called out.

"Like they would actually waste time painting the goddamn emblem on the gymnasium floor. This is the academy, no doubt about it...the layout is the same as the blueprints I saw in some of the official documents from the school. I should have fucking printed them out...damn it." Bryce said, stomping his foot.

"Oh, before I forget..here are your student identification devices, promptly named eHandbooks. You'll be needing them during your time here." Monokuma said, appearing out of nowhere pushing a small cart with several small boxes on them.

"These things are virtually indestructible. Torch them, drop them in the toilet, want to play catch with them? Go ahead, they can take a beating! I encourage you all to look through the apps, play with your virtual pets, seeing as you'll most likely not see your real pets ever again. Upupupupupu!"

"Jeez, it's like picking at an old wound with this one." Yuno said, glaring at the spot where the bear had been.

He saw everyone carefully move toward the cart. Sighing to himself, he decided to do the same, searching for his name. Finally finding it, he grabbed his box, pulling it apart. Inside was a small rectangular device, almost looking like a high tech phone. Upon pressing the side button, it was able to turn on. His name briefly flashed, before it went to the home screen, displaying the current time, but not the date. When he went to the main home screen, he noticed that there were only a few apps on it.

The first one was the student profile, which as he assumed was his own profile, along with that of the other students, for some reason or another their data was fully blank, aside from their names and profile pictures. The next app was a map, which only displayed things on the first floor of the academy, it seemed as if the other pages of the map were blocked, seeing as it was most likely inaccessible, he didn't pay it much thought.

The third app on the home screen, was of course the Virtual Pet. It was quite simple. The handbook also worked as a pedometer, so if you wanted to raise your own pet, then you would have to walk around for it to grow and level up. He assumed if he didn't take care of it, it would die.

The final app was something called Truth Bullets, whatever function that served, he didn't know. He looked back in the box, seeing that it came with a fairly long wall charger. He grabbed it from the box, stuffing it in his pocket. The last thing that he pulled from the box was a rectangular looking key chain, holding a single key on it. When he looked at it, he saw Y. Nagahama written on it, along with a room number.

"Must be my room key." he muttered quietly.

He noticed the paint was chipping a bit, as if it had been done hastily, but he wasn't able to scratch any of it off. Instead he just shoved the key in his pocket, making a mental note to check it out later. He noticed Mikan hadn't retrieved hers yet, so thinking on doing her a favor, he grabbed the box with her name on it and walked over to where she was still standing. She seemed to be a little better, though tears still steamed down her face.

"Um...here." he said quietly. She looked at the box dumbly for a few seconds before taking it from his hands, uttering the tiniest of thank yous.

"So...what are we going to do?" the purple haired girl said, glancing at everyone in the room.

"What do you mean what are we going to do?" Leon asked. She looked at him, her calm face startling him a bit.

"The way I see it, we have to options. Number one, we live this communal life, or number two...we kill to graduate." she said.

"Living here for the rest of my life isn't...possible for me." Celeste said, looking very worried.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do? You heard the damn bear, you want out, someone needs to get axed." Bryce said.

"Excuse me, when did I allow you to talk to me like I am common filth?" the black haired girl countered.

"Well, you are acting like a bitch right now." the architect replied.

"Hey, will you stop being such a fucking dick head and respect her? Jesus Christ!" Yuno shouted, gaining everyone's attention. Makoto gave a firm nod, looking at everyone too.

"He's right. Now is not the time for arguments, we have to work together and find out a way out of this place."

"Well, we can't just walk around all willy nilly, we have to check out the school regulations first." Celeste said, regaining everyone's attention.

"Yes, let us review the regulations for living in this school environment." Kiyotaka shouted, turning on his student identification.

"I swear, if I hear something else about a school environment, I am going to do something in this school environment that isn't welcome in any school environment." Yuno muttered dryly, earning a giggle from Sayaka who had been standing next to him. He flipped to the regulations, pulling them up.

"Rule Number 1: Students will live a peaceful communal life within the school grounds. Leaving campus is strictly forbidden.

Rule Number 2: Nighttime is the period between 10PM and 7AM. During this time, certain places will be off limits, so do exert caution. Water will also be shutdown during this time.

Rule Number 3: Sleeping anywhere but your assigned dormitories will be considered sleeping in class and you will be punished accordingly.

Rule Number 4: with exceptions to certain places, you are free to explore the academy at your leisure.

Rule Number 5: Harm to Headmaster Monokuma is strictly forbidden, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

Rule Number 6: If a student commits murder and becomes a blackened, he or she must not be found.

Rule Number 7: Additional rules may be added at the Headmaster's discretion."

Once he had finished reading them, he realized everyone had been looking at him. he blushed a bit, not realizing he had been reading them out loud. Mondo grit his teeth.

"The hell is this crap? Am I seriously being forced to follow this bogus rules?" he snapped.

"Well, you can go ahead and walk around the school like you own the place, until you break one of them. Personally, I want to see what happens when someone does break one." Celeste said with a smile on her face.

"You are a cruel mistress aren't you?" Yuno said, glancing at the gambler who just gave him a smile.

"These rules are stupid...I can't let them control me." Mondo said.

"Well, it's either that or you die." Junko said.

"Listen, my brother always told me that if a man makes a promise he has to honor it."

"So what?" the Fashionista asked curiously.

"Well, I made a lot of promises that I had to keep, that's _so what_." he replied, crossing his arms.

"I..didn't understand that, but if that's your way of saying you are going to adhere to the rules, then that's good." Celeste said, a small smile gracing her lips. Mondo looked away from her, most likely thinking of a rebuttal.

"It's still a worrying matter to approach." Yuno said.

"Well, for now we have to find a way out right? So let's explore the school." Leon said.

"Yes, we have to secure provisions, enough food and water for all of us, as well as some sleeping quarters." Kiyotaka said firmly.

"Yes, there are seventeen of us, so we can split up into three groups of four and one group of five. That way we can all watch each others backs." Hina said.

"No thank you, I'll go at it alone." Byakuya said, making everyone gasp.

"Hey, I don't know why you think of yourself so high and mighty but you have to cut the shit." Bryce said, standing before the Affluent Progeny, who could only scoff.

"Why would I put myself in a situation where I could potentially get hurt?" he asked.

"Going at it in groups is safer." he said.

"For you maybe. But I can already surmise that someone is planning murder. Putting myself in a group of strangers is begging to get killed, I'm sure it didn't take that many brain cells to figure it out." he said.

"Why you!"

"You are just to much of a thoughtless pleb to fully think things through. We have been placed on a chess board where all of our moves will decide the outcome of the game. I am but one piece, but I intend to make it out alive. You heard the what the bear said, or else you wouldn't have grown fearful when he proposed the Graduation Clause." he said. Everyone seized up a bit, to further confirm his suspicions. He turned toward the door, glancing at everyone with a firm glare.

"I am simply doing what's best for me."

"Oh yeah, you think so?" Mondo said, standing in front of the suit wearing young man.

"Out of my way Plankton, you are blocking the way."

"What did you call me?" Mondo shouted, earning a smirk from the blond.

"Plankton, a small insignificant life form that only serves as food for other creatures. An insignificant life form such as yourself."

"Guys please, this is not the time for arguments." Yuno said, stepping in front of Byakuya, holding the teen back from throwing a fist.

"Yuno is right, have to work together to get out of this." Makoto said.

"Excuse me? Did I give you permission to lay a hand on the expensive suit of the esteemed Byakuya Togami?" the rich boy asked, retching his hand free from Yuno's grasp. This in turn caused his eHandbook to be flung out of his hand, flying across the room and hitting the floor with a dull thud.

"The esteemed Byakuya Togami is a fucking douche bag." Yuno said firmly.

He started walking over to where his eHandbook had landed. However, he heard Mondo shout something, follow by a scream and a loud thud, turning around, he saw a passed out Makoto on the ground, with Sayaka and Mikan kneeling next to him, already checking him over. Yuno grit his teeth.

"What the fuck dude?" he shouted.

"You killed him." Touko shouted, pointing at the biker. He scoffed.

"I didn't kill him. If I had killed him, he wouldn't be breathing." he said.

"You guys are all fucking savages, Jesus. No wonder murder is okay in this academy, none of us will make it to the end of the month at this rate." he said, kneeling over Makoto.

"Whatever, while you plebeians stand around here cowering and pleading to save your measly lives, I will be looking for a way out of this place." Byakuya said, taking his leave. Yuno shook his head with disgust, but instead decided to worry about his friend.

"Is he okay?" he asked. Mikan nodded, glancing into his eyes.

"He's just passed out. He'll need some ice for the bruise but other than that he's okay." she said.

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here. I may as well take him to his room." he said, grasping the teenager's arm. He effortlessly lifted him up, placing him onto his back.

"Hey, I didn't mean to hit him you know. I start shouting and throwing punches when I'm stressed out...sorry." Mondo said. Yuno shook his head, glancing at the passed out boy on his back.

"I don't need that apology, he does. You can give to him when he wakes up." he said. With that, he left the gymnasium.

However, he couldn't help but start thinking about the entire situation. Monokuma...he had given told them that their lives were now confined to this academy. There was nothing they could do, if they wanted to leave, they had to kill. The school that was supposed to create blinding hope, was now turned into the murder academy of despair.

It was worrying to say the least, but there was nothing he could do about it. The fact he was missing his memories, reared back into the forefront of his mind, but he decided it would be better if no one knew about his amnesia, and when Makoto awoke, he would talk with him, Sayaka and Mikan, so that they would keep that secret a secret.

" _When I came here to this academy, I had nothing but good thoughts about my new semester. I wanted to be one of the best students in the academy, even if I wasn't academically inclined. Now that I was here, in Hope's Peak Academy, it was nothing like I expected. We had to kill in order to leave, or live here the rest of our lives. Such a daunting thought...it was enough to drive me insane...drive me to despair. But I knew, I knew that somehow, some way, we would all get out of this, I would make sure of that."_

 _ **Prologue End**_

 _ **To be Continued...**_

 _ **Surviving Students 17**_

 _ **Omake:**_

Junko smiled to herself as she peeked at the screen. Everything was going smoothly with her little game. But now she had to take care of the thorn in her side. She had been trailing the three for awhile now, a smirk on her face as she listened in to their conversation. They had finally arrived at an open clearing, a place that was in the middle of the city. It was a rather familiar park, with a beautiful Mermaid statue. She knew it would make the perfect scene. She snapped her fingers, the screech of Despairites filling her ears as her Upperclassmen all stopped. It wasn't long until they were surrounded.

It started to rain as the girl walked out into the open street, two Despairites holding umbrellas so she wouldn't get wet. She shook her head, hands at her hips.

"You three really do disappoint me. I wouldn't have known about your back stabbing betrayal if you hadn't come to the school." She said.

"Fuck you! We sent you a message bitch, and it seems you took the bait just as we wanted too." Daisuke said, a smirk on his face.

"Oh really? Did you honestly think that? I know that you tweaked the book and used it on all of the Despairites in town. You made it so none of them listened to me, but the thing about Despair is that it works in amazing ways. I made multiple copies of your little book...that way I wouldn't run the risk of you doing that." she said, flashing the book to him.

"What...no that can't be possible." he said, clutching his bag strap tightly.

"Oh but it is...you see that's the thing about books. They can have multiple sequels. I mimicked your writing style and was able to replicate it, writing multiple sequels. Personally the second one is better than the first...and now I'll be able to read it to you!" she said, opening the lid. Daisuke reached behind his back, tossing a smoke grenade to the ground.

"Run!" he shouted, pushing Sonia and Hiyoko through the crowd of Despairites. The two girls burst forward, running for their lives as the Despair driven humans raced after them.

"The truck is nearby, we have to make it!" Sonia said, reaching for the keys inside her bra.

"This was a stupid idea, we shouldn't have come here!" Hiyoko added.

"Just go, I'll distract them." Daisuke said, pulling out his leather bound book. He pulled himself to a stop, staring at the incoming gave of Despairites.

"Daisuke no! We can't loose you again!" Hiyoko cried.

"I said go, you two are the only ones who can lead the Remnants of Hope, I will follow you shortly." he said. Sonia took a hold of her arm, pulling her along.

"He'll be fine alright, we will see him again." she said. Hiyoko nodded, blowing a kiss to Daisuke, turning around and racing after her girlfriend. The two of them finally made it to their transport, a large tank that they had salvaged from the army.

Daisuke was instantly surrounded by the Despairites. He didn't care, as he started reading the book in his hands. All of them started twitching, their helmets malfunctioning a bit with each and every word. A loud gunshot filled the air, causing Daisuke to drop to the ground, clutching his leg. His hands were drenched in pink, as he tried to stop the bleeding. He tried standing up, only to fall back down on the ground. He looked up again, seeing the smile on Junko's face as she held the gun above his head.

"Bummer, looks like this is the end of the line for you...oh how I would have loved to put you through an execution." she said.

"I hope that you remember me, in your dying hour...because I will never stop hunting you down. So go ahead and do it, you bitch...I'll be waiting for you on the other side." he said, pressing his forehead to the barrel.

"If you say so." she replied, pulling the trigger without remorse. The Ultimate Story Teller fell back to the ground, blood seeping from the hole in his head. Junko sighed, groaning as she turned around.

"Man, you were my favorite one of the bunch...oh well, looks like I'll have to appease myself with Hisashi. He's already making things interesting." she said, walking away. The Despairites dispersed, leaving behind the body of the Ultimate Story Teller, the edge of the bullet peeking slightly out of his skin.

" _Heh, dumb bitch...I guess I got lucky...thanks Nagito, for being in the area."_ Daisuke thought, as he fell into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 1 Act 1: Academy of Hope

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the Chapter 1 of my Danganronpa fanfiction.**

 **I hope you readers like the Prologue, it took quite a while to get right, but once it was i couldn't help but post it. the quicker it's up the better, that way I won't get tempted to change or add anything. This time around the first official chapter took like three rewrites so it wasn't so bad.**

 **A little thing about this story, I will be using a different chapter format, instead of regular chapters, I will be splitting each chapter into Acts, since I want to keep it true to the games. Each part will be split into the normal school life, named Daily Life, where we will see Yuno interact with his friends and other students of Hope's Peak Academy, including exploration and free time events. Note that there will be a few people he doesn't talk to during his free time, but there will be tiny subplots to at least acknowledge them.**

 **The second part of the chapter will be split into the Deadly Life part, which will involve the investigation and the Class Trials. At the end of each trial there will be an execution, and after each one, there will most likely be an omake detailing what happens after the trials.**

 **However many acts each chapter has depends on how much I feel like writing, currently, Chapter one has three acts. I'm not sure if each chapter will have three or more acts, so there isn't a solid number.**

 **I've also been struggling with a pairing for this one, since there are a lot of girls that would fit my character right. But I finally decided on an Oc x Sayaka pairing, since she was one of my favorite characters in the original Danganronpa and I was saddened that she and Leon were killed off so quickly. Makoto Naegi will be paired with Mikan Tsumiki, because I feel that would be a really cute pairing, since she is an abused person and he generally brings hope to everyone he meets. Anyway, I've rambled enough, onward and upward, Chapter 1 Act 1 is incoming.**

 **Update: As of 6/26/17 Chapter 1 Act 1 of The School Life of Mutual Killing has been re edited and re posted...aside from some grammar fixes and some stuff at the end, nothing much as changed...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 1

Act 1

Academy of Hope **_(Daily Life)_**

It had been around an hour since Makoto had been knocked out by Mondo, and Yuno along with Mikan and Sayaka, decided to wait in his dorm until he woke up. Past those doors, none of them knew what was going on. Yuno had been quite surprised, seeing the nice spread of his classmate's room. He had a twin sized bed, along with a desk, which was behind his bed. He also had a dresser, on the other side of the room. There was a small white trash can next to it, the only chair in the room was taken by Sayaka, who sat beside Makoto who was restfully sleeping on his bed. The windows, had been bolted down much like the rest of the building.

The lighting in the room was different than in the hallways, instead of being purple, green or blue it was a florescent white, how it would have normally looked. The floor tiles were a neon blue in color, something that he didn't quite expect from the academy. Finally, across the bed, was the door to the bathroom. He hadn't peeked inside yet, mostly due to the fact that the door wouldn't open for some reason or another. Yuno had been sitting down on the floor, leaning against the small plant that was placed across the room. It was synthetic of course, but it at least kept his hopes of seeing a real one alive.

Mikan had sat down on top of the dresser, the worry on her face not exactly leaving. He assumed it was mostly because of her background as a nurse. She seemed busy readjusting the bandages on her arm. Sayaka kept her eyes trained on her eHandbook, almost willing it to tell her something.

In his mind, Yuno had to wonder, what the motive was. What was the point of holding Seventeen students against their will? For personal gain? For monetary again? He didn't know, but what he did know was that there was a reason. A sick reason, a reason he wanted to discover, a reason he was afraid to discover.

His thoughts drifted back to his missing memories. Nothing new had resurfaced, other than stapling the fact that he did indeed have an older sister. The memory was foggy, but he remembered playing with her when they were around twelve. He didn't remember her face or her voice, but he knew she was older than him. He sighed, looking at the tiled floor, he felt a tear slide down the side of his face and he was quick to wipe it. When he looked up though, he caught the worried looks from his two female companions. They wanted to say something, but likely felt it wasn't their place to say anything. He looked at Sayaka, chuckling a bit.

"I'm pretty sure you know what I'm thinking right now right?" he asked.

"Yes, but only because it's the same thing we're all thinking. What's the reason behind all this and who is doing it?" she replied.

"Yup, right on the nose." he said with a grin.

"T-there must b-be something r-right?" Mikan said, pulling their attention toward herself.

"Maybe it's money. I myself am pretty wealthy, mostly because of my career. Byakuya is the heir of a large conglomerate, Junko is a Fashion model, and Celeste is a gambler who hasn't lost a game since she was five."

"It can't be that Sayaka, trust me." Yuno said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"If it was monetary, then they would have already threatened all of you to give them everything you own. No one goes through this much trouble to lock up seventeen high school students. Besides, if that was the case, only you four would be locked here right now." he said.

"I suppose that makes sense." she said, leaning back into her chair.

"W-while its true that c-capturing us is a little w-weird. Doesn't that mean whoever d-did it has a motive?" Mikan asked.

"That's something I'm trying to figure out." he said.

Looking back at the ground. He ran his fingers through his hair, something often did when he was worried or confused. He glanced at the ceiling, allowing his hand to rest at his side.

"However, that is going to take a lot of investigating, clue gathering and culprit deducing. I'd have to put it all together until it makes sense. It's very simple." he said.

"Um...aren't you an archer? How is something as complicated as an investigation be simple?" Sayaka asked. He shrugged.

"It's not hard to solve something when you come at it logically. Say there is a can, at...um...1,000 meters, and you are told to hit it dead center. Something like that may be impossible for others, but logically it isn't impossible." He said, grabbing a sheet of paper. He crumbled it up, turning it into a ball.

"It's actually very simple, all you have to do is pick the right bow, the right arrow and accurately judge the distance and wind direction to figure out how and where you are going to strike your target. An investigation is the same, you gather the clues, **your bow** , deduce the culprit, **your arrows** , **judge them fairly** , and then sentence them to whatever punishment they deserve, **thus firing your arrow**." he said. He tossed a crumpled up piece of paper at the trash can, nailing it perfectly within the can.

"That's amazing. You can do something like that so easily?" the blue haired idol asked, earning a nod from him.

"Well, it's a little harder than that, but if you use your brain, it should become easier and easier. Not a lot of archers delve into this crap, but I actually do calculations in my mind. I calculate trajectory so I can hit my targets dead center. Sometimes, the farther something is, the harder it is to hit, so I also have to calculate altitude as well." he said.

"I d-didn't know archery was s-such a difficult s-sport." Mikan said.

"It's not really. Well, if you want to be the Ultimate Archer, you have to put some effort into it. I can compare it to being a nurse, you had to go through various tests right?" he asked.

"Oh yes, you not only need to know how to treat injuries, but you also need to be able to suture, hook up IV and Blood lines, and make split second decisions without much time to think, especially when a patient needs a certain kind of medicine." she said.

"Wow...I guess being an Idol is the same too, seeing as I have to write my own songs, record them, edit them and all that stuff. In the end, all of our special talents are the same in some way shape or form. That's really cool." Sayaka said with a smile.

"However, starting an investigation is nigh impossible. We have no leads on who the person in charge is, thus nothing to go on. I feel that all the answers are locked within the academy, if we can locate the real headmaster, we might get some answers." He said.

"Speaking of him, there's no way he would allow this crap to happen right? Unless...the mastermind is the headmaster?" Sayaka said, eyes widening a bit. Mikan started shaking.

"T-this...he can't." she said.

"He's not!" Yuno said firmly, startling the two girls.

"How can you be so sure?" Sayaka questioned. Yuno placed a hand over the pin he had on his lapel, feeling that it was still there. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"I don't know. It's not him though, I feel like it's not."

"Y-you haven't even m-met him before." Mikan said.

"I know...but..it's just a feeling you know?" he replied.

"I'm sorry for questioning you. If you'd like you can draw on me...people say it helps relieve stress." she said, a few tears slipping from her eyes. Yuno shook his head.

"No thanks, I don't break people's minds by drawing on their skin." he said firmly.

They all heard a groan, and looked toward the bed, seeing Makoto was starting to wake up. Yuno quickly stood, standing by his bed. Mikan was beside him, already checking him over. His eyes lazily opened, and he didn't focus on anyone.

"Where...am I?" he asked.

"You're in your dorm. After Mondo decked you, I carried you here. Sayaka and Mikan have been keeping you company as well." Yuno said. Makoto focused on him for a few seconds, before looking at the two girls.

"How...long has it been?"

"A few hours." Mikan replied. She poked the bruise on his cheek, making him wince a bit.

"Sorry...you'll need some ice for that, but for now I'll just put this bandage over it. It will make it easier for when we get ice." she said, placing a medium sized square shaped bandage on his cheek. He chuckled, feeling the bandage.

"At least he didn't knock a tooth out. That would have sucked." he said.

"Guess you got lucky." Sayaka said, giving him a wink, which in turn caused the brown haired teen to blush. Yuno cleared his throat, now gaining their attention.

"Listen, there's something I want to discuss with you now that Makoto is awake. It's about my missing memories." he said.

"Did you get any back?" the spiky haired teen asked, earning a quiet no from the archer.

"Only you three know about my amnesia. I was planning to tell the others so they would be aware of it, but since that sadistic bear showed up, I fear my condition will only raise suspicion against me." he said.

"How do you figure?" Sayaka asked.

"Think about it, someone with near total amnesia is a little too convenient. He is missing memories from not only a few days back, but from most of his family and other important events. It's safe to say someone would have reason to doubt him, perhaps even blame him for our situation." Makoto said.

"T-that makes s-sense." Mikan said quietly. Yuno gave her a nod.

"As such, I want to keep this fact between us. I can't trust the others as much, but I have actually spent longer than five minutes with each of you. I can tell none of you are going to kill someone else...so if possible I'd like it if we could hang out more. At least so we can watch our backs."

"I wouldn't mind hanging out with you. I actually want to get to know you better." Sayaka said.

"I-I've never had f-friends before. I-I'd like to talk some more." Mikan said.

"Same here, if we work together we can make it out of here." Makoto replied. Yuno gave a firm nod.

"Now that Makoto is awake, why don't we explore the school? We might be able to find something." he said.

"That isn't a bad idea. Oh, I can be your assistant Makoto, that would be cool." Sayaka said.

"Sure, I'd like that." the brown haired teen said, standing up and putting his sneakers on.

"U-um, could I b-be your assistant Yuno?" Mikan asked, glancing at the purple haired teen. He gave her a nod.

"Why not? Although a Nurse having an assistant? Isn't that odd?" he asked.

"It is odd, I'm sorry for bothering you." she said, glancing at the ground. He chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, a few tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey, I didn't say no did I? Let's follow Makoto and Sayaka's example and get explorin!" he said excitedly.

They decided to start with their own dorms first. Ironically enough, his own dorm was next to Sayaka's room. He slipped his key into the door handle, before throwing the door open. His room looked almost like Makoto's, the set up was the same at least. On the walls however, were several paper targets, each having several holes on it, though the most prominent one was on the very center. Each target had a clear bulls-eye. Above his bed, was a paper target in the shape of a person, with several holes in vital areas of the torso.

Next to his dresser was a manikin of sorts, with a few arrows sticking out of it. Finally, hanging next to his flat screen television was his violet carbon fiber compound bow, along with his quiver of arrows. There were a few band posters as well, Pierce the Veil being the most eye catching one, as well as a single anime poster, which was a limited edition poster for Highschool of the Dead. He stepped inside, noticing his suitcase was sticking out from underneath his bed. Opening one of his drawers, he saw all of his clothes had been neatly placed inside.

"Looks like someone took the liberty of decorating my room for me. How wonderful." he deadpanned, the thoughts of having his unmentionables touched by someone else really annoyed him.

"They saved you the trouble right?" Mikan said. He gave a shrug.

"I suppose." he muttered.

He walked over to the bathroom, opening the door. He had to admit, the bathroom was impressive. The shower itself was all tile, and had a really nice shower. There was also a glass wall separating the shower from the Porcelain Throne. At least it wouldn't get wet during showers. He closed the door, noting that it didn't have a lock on it.

"Hey look, a note." Mikan said, pointing to a paper that had been taped to the wall. He walked over it, seeing the words written upon it.

" _A new semester at Hope's Peak Academy has begun! Just as a reminder, the water supply is cut off at night time, so if you wish to shower, then do so before 10PM. Only the bathrooms of the girl's dorms have locks on them. As a final note, I have decided to bestow upon everyone a gift, for the Girls, I have left for you a Sowing Kit, with a detailed chart of vital organs. Use this to your heart's contents girls. And for the guys, I left you a Tool Kit. One blow from any of the tools should prove efficient enough, I hope you all use them to commit some crazy murders. I hope you enjoy your time here."_

Yuno grit his teeth, pulling the paper from the wall and crumpling it up. He tossed it into the trash bin, wanting to forget the things that had been written on it. Mikan looked at him, wondering what had been written on the paper. She decided against it, not wanting to anger the first friend she had made in the academy. Afterwards, he accompanied her to her dorm, which happened to be across from his.

Her room, while being almost the same as his own had notable differences. Her bed sheets were white instead of blue, and the bathroom was placed on the left side rather than the right. She had a similar note on her bathroom door. Since she had seen his reaction, she didn't even bother reading it, instead she just tossed it in the trash bin. He looked around, taking notice of the antiseptics lined up neatly in the very back. The scent of rubbing alcohol lingered in the room as well, and was the most notable scent in the room. In the very back, next to her bed was a white bag, with a red nurses cross on it.

"Looks like all my things are here." she said quietly, after checking through the dresser. She opened up her small bag, looking through it as well.

"That's good I suppose. Makes me wonder who took the time to put all our stuff here."

"Well...I believe that in order for all of us to wake up here, we must have been heavily sedated. The thing is, I don't remember anything after I walked into the school grounds. Perhaps it was there when we were drugged."

"Maybe." he muttered quietly.

They left her room shortly after that, passing by the other dormitories. They discovered the Incinerator, which was blocked by a large white grate. The room itself was quite large, and the machine itself took most of the room. Yuno looked around, but noticed there wasn't any doors leading outside, nor was there a visible trap door leading to the bigger trash room. After getting all the information he could, he moved on toward the other side of the Despair Hotel.

He easily found the Laundry room, which was empty, save for the large industrial sized washing machines and dryers. Some clothes lines had been rigged to hang above the washers, and a few articles of clothing hung on them, mostly expensive looking blouses and skirts, meaning Junko had recently done laundry, for whatever reason.

Across the plaza, they were able to find the cafeteria, which was rather fancy looking. It was large, and had several small round tables, along with one large rectangular table, with seventeen chairs placed around it. In the far back, was a set of double doors, that presumably lead to the kitchen. Large glass windows, opened out to the outdoor part, which had several natural trees, two of them bearing fruit. The larger windows that allowed sunlight in were bolted shut, preventing a means of escape. He sighed audibly, almost expecting to find an escape.

"Well, I suppose I could use a snack. Want anything?" he asked, looking at Mikan who had been looking around the other wise empty room. She shook her head.

"I'll wait here." she said quietly.

He gave her a nod and strode to the double doors in the back. Giving them a light push, he was able to enter the kitchen. It was of course state of the art, with large stoves and refrigerators, filled to the brim with all sorts of food. Pots and pans hung over one of the cooking stations and several appliances had been placed near the largest stove. Two ovens could be seen in the back, and when he peeked inside, he was surprised to find two trays of cupcakes being baked inside. The bottom one held a tray of brownies, along with what looked to be a large cake. It smelled really good too. He heard a chuckle behind him, and turned around, spotting the Ultimate Baker, leaning against the wall.

"Beautiful isn't it? I always dreamed of having a kitchen this spacious all to myself. Though I haven't delved into to many food related recipes, since I only studied baking. I sort of went crazy and made more than just cupcakes." he said with a chuckle.

"Hey, I don't blame you. You did this to distract yourself from what's going on, and I commend that." he said. Nick nodded, looking at the far wall.

"We all needed to calm down after that, so I felt the need to make something that would ease us all a bit. It helped that I was in a good mood too, the fridge is stocked to the brim with food, including good old fashioned cola." he said, holding up a can of Mountain Dew.

"That's a good thing then." he said, moving onto the large fridge.

When he pulled it open, he let out a surprised gasp, seeing all of the things that were kept inside. It was a chef's dream fridge. It held to many things to name at once. His eyes settled on a bottle of Dr. Pepper Cherry, and he grabbed it, slowly closing it.

"A good choice." he said. Yuno also spotted the fresh vegetables near the large pantry, that held all of the baking ingredients.

"Will all of this be enough for us? Feeding Seventeen students takes a lot of food." he asked curiously, grabbing a pack of cookies from the pantry.

"Actually, the kitchen is restocked every day according to what we have consumed, Monokuma said so himself." Nick said.

"You talked to him?" Yuno asked surprised.

"Well, me and Chihiro were exploring the place and she asked the question. He came out of nowhere, told us that and then left just as fast as he showed up. It's a good thing though, at least I have fresh ingredients to work with. Like I said before, I may not be a chef, but I'll do my best to make something for all of us." he said.

"I know you will."

"Hey, would you like to help me decorate the cupcakes and the cake when their done? We can make them all pretty if you want." he said. Yuno chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sorry, I'm still looking around. I haven't exactly explored what lies outside the Hotel. I want to check out the rest of the first floor." he said.

"Alright, it's a shame though. I have a feeling you would have made some really funny cupcakes." Nick said. They heard a loud slam outside in the cafeteria, prompting Yuno and Nick to go look.

They were greeted with a scared Mikan, and an angry looking Bryce, his notebook was on the floor, spilling his blueprints everywhere. His hardhat lay on the ground beside him, and he seemed to be glaring at the fallen nurse. He noticed a few of the others had come back as well. He had his teeth grit in anger. The nurse was tightly grasping the table behind her, her knuckles turning white from how strong her grip was. Byakuya, who had sat himself at one of the round tables looked at the scene in amusement, while Touko stood a few feet away from him, biting her thumb nail. Leon stood a few feet away from Bryce, clearly not wanting to get involved in whatever was going on. Finally, Bryce moved, grabbing a handful of the girl's apron tightly in his hand.

"Listen here you bitch. I have no idea what possessed you to do that, but you are going to pick my shit up." he said.

"I-It was an a-accident. P-please don't h-hurt me!" she wailed, fresh tears running down her face.

"I don't give a shit. You do not bump into me, and you do not throw my shit on the floor, know get on your knees and pick my shit up." he shouted, tossing her onto the floor. The poor girl gave a cry of pain and quickly set to complete her task.

"If it makes you feel b-better, you can draw on me, or punch me." she said.

"Shut up. Though that is an interesting offer, I might write the word slut on your forehead, and maybe I'll cut your hair, seeing as it looks like shit."

"HEY!" Yuno howled, finally having enough. He gave his soda to Nick and marched right up to the architect's face, pushing him away from the frightened nurse.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You fucking think it's okay to hit women?" he asked.

"Excuse me? You did not just push me." Bryce countered, pushing Yuno back. He almost tripped over his feet but quickly regained his footing.

"Don't you ever, _Ever_ , lay a hand on Mikan again." he said.

"Pfft, or what? What is a skinny bumfuck like you going to do? Shoot me with your arrows? As a recall that will be counted as murder." he sneered.

"I am the Ultimate Archer, I know where to hit people and not kill them. I can use my sharpest broadheads, and shoot you right in the knees, stop you from walking again. I can shoot your hands so you can never write or draw, hell I can even sever your spinal cord, and leave you as nothing more than a vegetable, laying on a bed, wishing nothing but the sweet embrace of death. I can ruin your life, and it wouldn't make me a murderer." Yuno said firmly, making the architect gulp. He looked at Mikan, who was staring at the two wide eyed. He smirked, glancing back at Yuno.

"Oh, I get it. You are thinking of the endgame. You don't have the heart to kill, so you are already planning on living here for the rest of your life, with that useless slut as your fuck buddy." he said.

"Excuse me?" Yuno asked, clearly taken aback by this new comment.

"Oh yeah, you took a liking to the nurse girl, since she's willing to do anything you ask of her. That's kind of kinky you know. I might make her do some other things later on." he said.

"You disgusting pig." Touko shouted, earning a glare from the architect.

"Shut up you. Worthless, all of you are worthless, don't any of you care what is going on? Who gives a shit about this pig faced slut?" he shouted, glaring at Mikan who cried out in fear. Yuno grabbed a hold of Bryce's shirt, holding his fist upright.

"That is enough you two. There are more pressing matters than this petty squabble." the violet haired girl said.

She stepped into the cafeteria, followed by Makoto and Sayaka, along with Junko and Mondo. All of them had been curious to see what the shouting was about and had decided to come investigate. Bryce scoffed, looking away from her.

"Don't get involved with this Kyoko, it has nothing to do with you." he said. Yuno looked at the girl, now finally knowing her name.

He had to admit, it seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. Leaving those thoughts for another time, he returned to the current matter.

"She's right about there being more pressing matters. However, if I ever catch you mistreating Mikan again, or even so much think of laying a finger on her, I will make your life a living hell, more so than that piece of shit two toned bear that locked us in here. I will make you suffer." he said coldly.

"Whatever, have fun procreating with that thing. I have better things to do, late." he said, grabbing his blueprints and hardhat.

Once he was gone, Yuno felt a his adrenaline rush start dying down, tiredness washing over his entire body. He looked at Mikan who was still on the floor, sobbing quietly. He knelt before her, pulling her into a hug.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you or hit you?" he asked.

"No...I-It was an a-accident. I tripped and b-bumped into him. Then he p-pushed me back. I-I'm sorry!" she cried out. He sighed, running his fingers through her hair. He looked up at the others who gave him a sympathetic look.

"Well, I have to say, I have been quite entertained." Byakuya said, leaning back in his seat.

"If you want to be entertained, why don't you retire to your dorm and stare at your tiny dick. I bet you that's more entertaining." Yuno said, glaring at the heir. His face contorted into anger before he looked away, muttering things under his breath.

"Is she okay?" Sayaka asked, looking worried.

"She's fine. That dick hole, who does he think he is?" he said angrily.

"I can't respect a man who hits a woman. The hell is he thinking?" Mondo added, taking a seat at the long table.

"He's not. Instead of putting his efforts toward getting outta here, he's just dicking around, hitting girls." Leon added. Yuno helped Mikan up, holding the girl close to himself.

"I'm gonna walk her to her dorm. Afterwards, we can all discuss our findings." He said.

"I'll go with you. We have yet to talk." Kyoko said.

Yuno looked at her oddly, before giving her a nod. The three teens left the cafeteria, heading toward the dormitories. All of them remained quiet until they reached Mikan's dorm. She opened her door, looking back at Yuno.

"Thank you for helping me. I'm sorry for everything." she said, before he could reply, she closed the door, locking it afterwards. He sighed, looking at the floor.

"Damn it, poor thing must be scared half to death." he said. He glanced back at Kyoko, who had been watching him closely, eyes narrowed. He looked at her, a bit weirded out.

"Um...you wanted to talk to me?" he asked.

"Yes, out of everyone here, you were the only one who didn't introduce themselves personally. I found it a bit odd." she said.

"I'm sorry...I probably didn't see you...especially after everything that happened." he said, glancing away from her.

"I don't blame you. My name is Kyoko Kirigiri, you are Yunosuke Nagahama correct?"

"Yeah, the Ultimate Archer. Would you mind sharing your talent?" he asked.

"I apologize...I think I'd rather keep that to myself for now." she replied.

"I understand, I'm not going to press you for answers if you don't feel like answering them." he said with a shrug.

He turned toward the cafeteria, only to be stopped by the violet haired young woman. She stopped before him, holding his eHandbook in her hand. He looked at it awkwardly before accepting it.

"I forgot about this thing." he said, placing it in his pocket.

"You and I are alike in many ways. Already, you are trying to deduce who could have trapped us here, and I can tell you are going to be a key player in this game. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, that is beyond any theory I have now." she said. With that she took her leave, leaving him standing in the hall all alone.

Everyone, except Mikan and Bryce gathered up in the cafeteria, in order to share what they had discovered about the first floor of the academy. So far, the only places they could go to, was the Gymnasium, the Dormitories, the School Store and the Gift Shop. The Nurse's office had been closed down, and unless someone had a serious injury, it wasn't going to be opened, the same went for the bathhouse, which was blocked by caution strip.

Taka, using his talents as the Moral Compass, convinced them all of meeting up in the cafeteria every morning for a role call, if only to ease the burden on everyone. Celeste had also imposed a rule where everyone would stay in their dorms at Nighttime to avoid anything happening. Yuno felt it was a weird rule, but it did make sense in the end. They all had dinner, and desert, provided by the Ultimate Baker, and after that, retired to their rooms.

Three days passed, and nothing had yet to happen. Everyone was on edge, and the more time passed, the more tensions rose. Almost no one wanted to say anything to each other, for fear of what would happen, but even then, there were a few who still had hope of them getting out of there.

Yuno sat at one of the round tables, near the main table where everyone was sitting. He had decided it was a little to crowded for his taste. He was reading a comic book he had found in the School Store, and drinking a cup of black tea to soothe his mind. Celeste had decided to sit with him for whatever reason, but hadn't shared anything other than a quiet Good Morning. Mikan sat at a table by herself, not wanting to be near Bryce for fear that he would snap again, or near Yuno since she felt she was annoying him. In fact, she had avoided him for the three days they had been there, and when he made conversation she just shied away. He made a mental note to confront her later on.

"Alright, now that we are all gathered here, we must continue our efforts to find a means of escape." Taka said, standing proudly at the head of the table. Mondo sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"Dude, give it a rest. We've scoured every part of this damn place and we aren't going to find an exit." he said.

"What about those red doors we saw? What if that's the exit?" Sayaka said, earning an eager nod from Taka.

"Yes, we couldn't open those doors at all, perhaps they hold the answers we seek."

"Hate to break it to you all, but those doors do not lead outside. They aren't welded shut sure, but there wasn't any fresh air or sunlight coming in. I doubt you all forgot what the sun looks like." Bryce said.

"I don't know retard, every time I try to look at the sun my eyes threaten to explode." Yuno said, taking a sip from his small cup. Celeste let out a little giggle, clearly amused by his comment.

"I'm not gonna dignify that with a retort."

"Meaning you don't have one."

"Classmate Yuno, please stop instigating this fight. Fighting is not welcome..."

"In a school environment, I get it, whatever." he muttered dryly, returning to his comic book. Taka smiled proudly, finally getting through to one of the people that was causing trouble.

"Come on guys, we can't give up hope. It's been three days, surely the Police are already looking for us." Hina said, a hopeful look on her face.

"Ha! That's a joke. You thinking the Police are going to help you."

Everyone looked at the head of the table, seeing Monokuma leaning back, paws behind his head. His glowing red eye seemed to be focusing on them.

"What do you want bear?" Byakuya snapped, glaring at him. The bear chuckled.

"I just came to wonder why I haven't seen a body yet. And I hear this shit about the police, please. Just give it a rest and accept the fact that you aren't getting out of here unless you murder someone." he said.

"I thought we made it clear that we aren't going to kill anyone." Yuno snapped. A chorus of agreements assaulted the bear, seemingly annoying him.

"Hmm, that is true. But I just realized the reason why and that's because you guys aren't motivated yet. So, how about we have a good old fashioned assembly? Everyone head to the A/V room on the first floor for something beary important announcement." Monokuma said, hopping off the chair and waddling off. Yuno gulped a bit, glancing at Celeste who had a curious look on her face. She fished her tea, setting the small cup upon its plate.

"Most intriguing. I wonder what our mastermind friend has whipped up for us." she said.

"You can't be telling me you are enjoying yourself." Yuno said, matching her pace. He rolled up the comic book, placing it in his back pocket. She smiled, placing her interlocked hands under her chin.

"Oh dear Yuno, this is all just a game. A game I don't intend to lose, after all, I haven't lost a game since I was five." she said.

"Heh, if anyone is going to win this game, it's definitely me." Byakuya said, brushing past them.

Yuno sighed, glancing behind him. A few steps back was Mikan, who was looking around all worried. She met eyes with him, and stopped looking like a deer in headlights, before glancing away, finding the metal plating more interesting.

They arrived at that A/V room, one of the rooms that had been previously closed off, now was open. Makoto was the first one in, followed by everyone else. It had several computer stations, each with the best looking hardware Yuno had seen, in front of them was a large screen, which held nothing but static. On top of the table was a cardboard box, labeled movies. Makoto peeked inside, eyes widening a bit.

"They're disks, and all of them have our names." he said.

He started passing all the disks around, and everyone quickly found an empty computer to sit at. Yuno finally got his, and he saw his name was scribbled on it with crayon of all things. He looked at it curiously. Monokuma appeared on the large screen, a grin on his face and a glass of wine in his hand.

"Ah, it seems you've already passed out the DVD's. Well, it makes it all the easier on me. Before coming to Hope's Peak Academy, all of your friends and family members wanted to wish you luck, but what happened to them while you are all here? Who knows? Maybe those DVD's hold the answers? Upupupupupu."

With that, the large screen shut off. All the students shared a look, before glancing at the disks in their hands. All of them were scared, fearing for their friends and loved ones. Yuno finally took a seat, realizing he was sitting next to Sayaka. He looked at her, seeing her warm smile.

"It can't be anything bad right?" she asked.

"Anything that's coming from that psychotic bear, I wouldn't trust, it's probably fake." he said.

Yet even as he said that, he couldn't help but wonder if what was on that video was real or not. Taking a shaky breath, he slipped the disk into the disk drive, booting the computer up. He grabbed the pair of headphones connected to it, placing them over his ears.

" _Yunosuke Nagahama, the Ultimate Archer who has several awards under his belt, was recently accepted into Hope's Peak Academy, the school he had admired for quite a while."_

Yuno narrowed his eyes, glancing that blank screen. All that he could hear that that psychotic bear's voice. There wasn't a video at all. Suddenly, a bit of static appeared on screen, and the silhouette of a young girl appeared on it.

" _But, is that really who he is? There's someone out there who's willing to bet against it."_

" _ **Who are you people? What have you done with my big brother? Leave me alone!"**_

" _ **Oh, don't worry Little Actress, we're going to be really gentle with you."**_

" _ **Gen...tle?"**_

" _Wanna find out who that is? Wanna regain your lost memories? We'll you'll just have to wait and see."_

" **Find out after Graduation!"**

The video ended, leaving Yuno startled and confused. That voice...it felt so familiar to him and yet he didn't know who it belonged to. She cried for her big brother. Was that him? He closed his eyes, trying to think. Suddenly the image of a pink haired ten year old filled his mind. Her bubblegum pink hair, her vibrant pink eyes and her love of acting. Her hatred of unpeeled chestnuts. His heart twisted in agony and he stepped back, slamming into the wall behind him. The head set hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Kotoko." he cried out.

Sayaka let out a shout next to him, pretty much in the same state. Tears ran down her cheeks and she grasped her hair in her hands.

"I-I gotta get out of here." she said.

"What is the meaning of this?" Byakuya cried out, anguish clear on his face.

"Who are you really? And what do you want?" Kyoko asked, glaring at the screen. Monokuma laughed, taking a sip from his wine.

"I don't want much. Just your despair." he said.

"You bastard." Bryce shouted, throwing his disk at the giant screen. It shattered into a million pieces, making the two toned bear laugh harder.

"Oh man, the despair on your faces is delicious. If you want to find out what happened after those videos then go ahead and kill each other. The answers will be there when you graduate."

"Give me back my little sister you sadistic fuck. She has nothing to do with this." Yuno shouted. This only made Monokuma laugh even louder, before tuning off the screen. Yuno fell to his knees, unable to stay standing.

"It'll be alright...it'll all be alright. Kotoko will be fine...but I just...have to make sure she's...okay." he said, taking shaky breaths.

"Yuno...are you alright?" Makoto asked, getting a small smile from the violet haired archer.

"Everything is peachy. Just peachy...I'm just gonna go. I'm gonna get out of here, I'm gonna save Kotoko." he said, standing up. As he turned around though, he felt someone take his hand. He saw that it was Sayaka, who's face was still covered in fresh tears.

"Don't...you'll do something stupid...we have to get out...but not by killing someone." she said quietly.

"I'm...not..I."

The blue haired girl stood up, pulling him into a tight hug. He was completely expecting her to run out of the room, screaming bloody murder. Her reaction was enough for that assumption at least. He wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, letting the tears flow down his face.

"Oh god...that bastard is doing things to my sister. She's only ten!" he exclaimed.

"It's alright. We'll get through this." she said quietly.

In that moment, Yuno felt true despair. He had gotten a memory back, one of his precious memories. His sister was being held captive by that psychotic bear. She was most likely being put through hell, and he was given an ultimatum, kill someone to save her, or let them do as they please. He couldn't have felt anymore useless.

 _ **Omake:**_

Yuno was rather bored, being told he had to spend the rest of his life within the confines of Hope's Peak Academy had startled him quite a lot. Without contact with the outside world, it was pretty much impossible to tell if someone was attempting anything of the sort, so for now he had to follow along with the bear's intentions and live within the school.

Worry filled him, knowing the seeds of despair had been planted deep within their minds when the Graduation Clause had been announced. Few of his classmate's chose not to interact with each other, mostly to keep themselves away from a potential murderer. Only those with high confidence, like Byakuya Togami and even the quiet gambler Celeste had been accepting of their situation, most likely intrigued by their current dilemma.

Yuno had to wonder though, what was the ulterior motive? Capturing Seventeen students and locking them away? For what purpose? It couldn't be just because they were the rising hope right? Hope's Peak wouldn't lock them up just to prevent them from being tainted by the world, it was preposterous and undignified of an academy of their stature. No, he figured it must have been another reason.

Sighing to himself, he stood up from the chair he was occupying in the cafeteria. He had yet to check out the school store, and he was hoping there was at least something to keep him pacified until the bear got bored and let them go. Quietly making his way out of the cafeteria, he shared a brief look with Makoto, who had been quietly chatting with Sayaka about one thing or another, he did hear something about a crane and Junior high, so it might have been something revolving around their past. He glanced at the metal plating on the walls, wondering just what kind of machine was able to lift up plating of that size.

It had to have been noticeable, there is no way no one wouldn't have noticed the additional changes to the school building. Then again, people didn't even notice the Reserve Course building being built a few years prior.

Finally making it to the store, he pulled the glass doors open and made his way inside. Surprisingly enough, he found Celeste in the store, glancing at a few things that had captured her interest. Instead of the usual books and other things students may have needed, the store was filled with various things, from assorted candies, to anime masks, even impractical things like wooden swords.

There were some machines in the back filled to the brim with cold drinks, as well as some filled with chips and other snacks. There was some Hope's Peak Academy uniforms hung high on the walls, along with some varsity jackets baring the school crest.

The oddest thing about the store itself, was the large machine that sat at the very back. It looked like something out of an arcade, with white blinking lights that seemed to grab anyones attention. The machine was filled with various prizes it seemed, what were contained inside was anyones guess. The machine itself was black and white, and had Monokuma's face printed onto the side, as well as the bottom where the money would be placed. The machine only had a lever, with the grip being the shape of Monokuma's head. It also had a single glowing button. The top of it read MonoMono, and depicted several golden coins with Monokuma's face on them.

" _Man, whoever is controlling Monokuma has a goddamn fetish for the fucking thing."_ he thought to himself.

Celeste, who had been calmly watching him since he had entered, finally walked over to his side, both staring at the machine in front of them. They didn't say a word to each other, simply enthralled with the piece of hardware before them.

"Figure out how it works yet?" he asked quietly. She shook her head, placing a finger on her chin, her silver claw glinting from the light.

"I did figure out something, it seems like all the prizes are determined by luck. Perhaps it has to do with the money it takes as well, if you've noticed, it seems like this machine doesn't take Japanese Yen, or even American Dollars." she said.

Now that she mentioned it, he did notice the coin slot was different. It didn't have a specific monetary amount. Usually, arcade machines and prize machines had some form of labeling, telling the players how much money it took to get credits. But it seemed this machine was entirely different. He also noticed the capsules within seemed to be in various sizes, some ranging from palm sized while others were the size of a water melon. How they fit through the prize door was beyond him.

"If it doesn't take real money, then what does it take?" he asked curiously.

"Upupupupu! I'm so glad you asked Yuno, I was beginning to think no one would take interest in my beloved MonoMono machine!"

Yuno and Celeste visibly scowled, seeing Monokuma waddling into the store, a bright grin on it's robotic features. The duo had to wonder just how sharp those teeth were, seeing as they looked like the tips of knives.

"If no one took an interest in it, perhaps it's due to the fact that no one has money on them, and even if they did it wouldn't serve them any good." Celeste replied.

"You guys must have not been looking around hard enough, I left plenty of MonoMono coins for you to find, for the sole purpose of getting the goodies inside this machine. Trust me, there are some reeeally good ones inside." the bear said.

"I haven't found any of these coins. It's not like I'm searching for them in the first place, I would have thought escaping your clutches would have been priority number one for everyone." Yuno said, crossing his arms. Monokuma turned around, looking at the floor.

"I've done so much for you and you can't even find a pack of coins? This despair is...absolutely wonderful. I suppose I can help you out this time. I'll give the two of you 100 coins to start with, and I hope you have fun with the things that you get from inside!" he said.

He pulled two black and white pouches from out of nowhere, handing them to Yuno and Celeste, he left without a single word, waddling away as always. Yuno opened the small pouch, seeing the golden coins stored within.

"Well, he is rather bold. I'll give him that much." Celeste said getting a weird look from Yuno. She merely smiled, tilting her head a bit. Shrugging, the young archer pulled out five golden coins, slipping them into the coin slot. The button flashed brightly, displaying the credits he had gained.

"Well, don't know how this works but I'll give it a go." he said, pulling the lever.

The machine dinged loudly, Monokuma's annoying laughter filtering through the speakers, finally a pink capsule, around the size of a soft ball appeared on the screen. He pressed the button to claim his prize, and grabbed it from the slot. He popped it open, finding a perfume bottle within. It was labeled Blueberry Perfume. He took a whiff of it, almost gagging.

"Oh great, something that isn't for me." he said distastefully. Celeste giggled, watching Yuno attentively. He glanced at her, noticing the unopened bag in her hands.

"Aren't you going to try it out?" he asked.

"Hmm...I think I'd rather watch you. I might get an inkling of how to procure the higher grade items." she said.

"Suit yourself." he said.

He set the bottle down on the counter next to them. He slipped five more coins into the machine, this time pulling out a smaller capsule. He popped it open, spotting a small barrette inside. It depicted a small cute cat.

"A kitty barrette, why am I getting girl stuff?" he muttered dryly.

He set it aside, slipping two coins into the machine this time. He figured it was better to use less coins. A blue capsule dropped down, and when he opened it, he was greeted with another Kitty barrette. He tossed it aside, and continued playing.

After twenty seven tries, he finally gave up. The others had heard the angry shouts and swears being thrown at the machine every time Yuno had failed and had come to investigate what was going on. They arrived to see an amused Celeste and a very distraught Yuno, holding an empty cloth bag in his hands.

"I used up all my coins, and all I got were Kitty barrettes, disgusting perfume, and a stupid ring. Oh, and this blank book, the fucks the point?" he said, tightly gripping the empty book he had gotten.

It was black in color with Hope's Peak Academy's crest, but when you looked through it, all of the pages were blank. He tossed it in the nearby trash bin, scooping up his kitty barrettes and perfume bottles.

"Alright then, I'm going to wallow in my dorm, don't bother me." he said, brushing past the other students, dropping a few barrettes along the way. Nick chuckled, shaking his head.

"I thought something was going on here, but it's just someone who's bad at a stupid arcade game." he said.

Celeste giggled, finally deciding to try her luck. She was gifted with a rather large capsule, and when she opened it, she was surprised to find an Antique Doll resting within.

"Oh my, what a beautiful doll. This will certainly fit well within my dorm." She said rather happy.

"Hey, I want to try my hand at that machine, I found some coins laying around." Bryce said, stepping up to the machine. Byakuya sighed, turning around.

"This is asinine, we shouldn't be wasting our time with silly arcade games." he said.

"Hey, if you don't like it, there's the door." Bryce said, pulling the lever. He claimed his prize, opening the small capsule. Inside was a stone arrowhead. He looked at it oddly.

"What am I suppose to do with this?" he asked.

"Who cares, it's my turn." Leon said, brushing past him.

The architect shrugged, shoving the prize in his pocket. He had spent his only few coins so he had decided to look around the store, by now most of the others had left as well, leaving only Celeste, Makoto, Sayaka and himself.

"A crystal skull...It looks really cool." Leon said, holding it up to the light.

"I still can't believe Yuno got so many kitty barrettes, think he'd let me have one?" Sayaka asked.

"Maybe, he's a nice guy." Makoto replied with a smile. Bryce grimaced a bit.

" _Ugh...how can someone as cute as her be interested in a douche bag like him? That asshole needs to pay for what happened yesterday."_ he thought, a grin forming on his lips.

"What are you grinning about?" Celeste asked, shaking Bryce out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh...I just thought of a good idea for lunch, something I haven't eaten in forever. I'm gonna go make it, just for myself though, I'm not a servant." He said, taking his leave.

"What an unbearable prick." Leon said, crossing his arms.

"I agree. Well, I do say I am wholeheartedly impressed with this trinket machine, I might return when I have more coins." Celeste said, still glancing at her new favorite doll.

"Same here, there's bound to be some cool stuff in there. Though I don't want to get twenty three kitty barrettes, that would suck." the baseball player replied.

"Maybe he can use them for something else." Makoto added.

Meanwhile, back in his dorm, Yuno was staring at himself in the mirror, carefully pinning a kitty barrette to his hair, muttering things about how he wasted all his coins on them. He was sure to get revenge on the bear for tempting him with that stupid arcade machine. If he didn't find anymore coins, there would be hell to pay, that was for sure.


	3. Chapter 1 Act 2: Academy of Hope

**A/N: Hello Everyone and welcome to the newest chapter of Danganronpa.**

 **Hmm, I wasn't going to post anything today, after updating several stories yesterday, but I honestly couldn't help myself. I spent all of last night writing three chapters, the Deadly Life part, the Investigation and the first half of the Class Trial as well as the second half of the Class Trial. I hope you don't hate me for who I decided to kill off first. It wasn't personal or anything and let me tell you, I really like them as a character. The first Investigation and the Class Trial are by far my favorite parts of Chapter 1. I ended up shocking myself at the stuff that I came up with and I felt like I was literally in Hope's Peak Academy, experiencing this stuff first hand. In the end, this story is for me just as much as its for the fans, and if I don't enjoy it, then I know you won't either. The Killing Game will start with this chapter, and will lead the Class 78 and 79 into a downward spiral as their world crumbles around them.**

 **I most likely won't be posting anything new this week. So I hope this ties you over until Act 3 gets posted, and I hope you all enjoy it. Also, Happy 4th of July to those of you who reside in America. I hope you have a safe holiday, and remember playing with Fireworks is dangerous.**

 **Without further ado...here's Chapter 1 Act 2  
**

 **Update: As of 6/26/17 Chapter 1 Act 2 has been re edited...aside from some minor grammar fixes and the stuff at the end, nothing really changes...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 1

Act 2

Academy of Hope _**(Daily Life)**_

It had been a few hours since hearing their motive. Everyone had been on edge after watching the contents of their DVD's, so they all decided to retire to their dorms. Yuno himself just sat at his desk, staring at the disk in front of him. He just looked at it, anger flowing through him. The despair he had felt before had only been replaced with a newfound hope of getting out of the academy alive. It had looked bleak for him, but he couldn't give into the evil bear's temptation. He didn't know if it was real or fake, but he knew that it was nothing more than a motive, to force him into acting irrationally and kill one of his friends.

That however didn't make him shake the feeling that what he had heard had been real. That voice...Kotoko's scared voice reverberating through his head, and that male voice, saying they were going to be gentle with her. He grit his teeth, remembering what had happened to his little sister.

It wasn't a secret to anyone that before he had joined the Hope's Peak Alumni, he had been involved with the police after all. If only because of what had happened to his adopted little sister Kotoko. She had been a student at Hope's Peak Elementary, and given the title of Lil' Ultimate Drama. She loved acting, but her real mother just wanted money, and she went as far as letting multiple producers do things to her. In the end, she was arrested and lost custody of her child.

It had been then that his family had stepped in and taken in the emotionally and mentally broken girl, and given her a stable place, along with several counseling appointments. She was finally recovering, she was finally healing after her ordeal, and then this had to happen.

Someone had done something to her, and she was being held captive in order to keep him in line, and he hated it. He absolutely detested himself for that. He wasn't able to protect her, he broke the solitary promise he made to her. Being stuck in this academy, with amnesia of all things, it pissed him off, it drove him to despair.

"No that's what the bear wants. He want's my despair, and that's something that I can't let him have. Hope...I have to hope that it was all a ploy. Yeah, that's what it is, a motive." he said.

He glanced at the disk again, his self confidence dimmed a bit. He stood up, grabbing the DVD case which contained his motive. He placed it on top of one of his training dummies, and walked over to where his bow hung proudly. Grabbing it off the wall, along with an arrow, he took a few moments to screw in one of the training tips before setting it up. He walked over to the other side of the room, standing several meters away from the disk case. He held his bow up, drawing the string back all the way.

He took a deep breath, slowing his breathing down. He felt his heart beat slowing down. There was nothing that could pull him out of his zone. It was just him and his target. He closed his eyes, opening them slowly, focusing on the disk case that was now sitting on his training dummy.

As he was going to release his arrow, he heard his door bell, pulling him out his trance. The snap of this string tore his eyes back to the arrow, seeing it had stabbed into his dresser. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, he glanced back at the door, as he heard the bell once more. He slowly made his way to it, slowly opening the door.

"Who is it?" he asked, glancing through the crack.

"Um...it's me."

"Who the fuck is me?"

"Sorry, it's Sayaka." the blue haired girl replied.

Her voice was soft, and full of nervousness. He shrugged opening the door, seeing the Pop Idol standing before him. She had dried tear streaks on her face, and her eyes were still puffy from crying.

"Hi...Sayaka...what's up?" he asked.

"May I come in? I wanted to talk to someone. Makoto was busy talking to someone else, so I figured I would come to my only other friend." she said.

He nodded, opening the door to let her into his room. She looked around, seeing all of the archery things he had laid about the room. She spotted the DVD case on top of the training dummy, and the arrow sticking out of the dresser. She looked at him curiously, seeing his bow in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Blowing off some steam. I want to get this motive out of my head, so the best way to do that is shooting it. However, a certain blue haired idol messed up my concentration when she decided to ring the door bell." he said, brushing past her to retrieve his arrow. Sayaka blushed, looking at the floor.

"Sorry." she said.

"It's all good. It wouldn't have been fun killing it in one go anyway." he said, pulling the arrow out of the dresser. Thankfully it was still usable. Sayaka looked at the other targets, impressed by all of the center shots that were on the paper.

"Would you mind if I take a crack at it? I got my own DVD that I'm trying to get rid of." she said, pulling her own DVD from her skirt pocket. Yuno didn't even know how she did that, nor did he question it. He gave her a nod.

"Sure, but this bow is a little heavy for you. Let me get my Recurve Bow, that should be a good one for you." he said, walking back to his small closet.

He set his bow down on his dresser, turning the light on, he looked at the other bows that were stored there, all in immaculate condition. He had found them earlier when he had walked into it, expecting to see the rest of his clothes inside. Instead he was greeted with a nice collection of bows, which he didn't remember owning.

He had shrugged it off, not giving it much thought. He grabbed one of the 40 pound recurve bows, pulling it off it's hook. He pulled the string back, testing it a bit. Once he was satisfied, he returned to his bedroom, where Sayaka was looking at a few of the targets.

"Are all of these yours?" she asked curiously, earning a nod from the Archer.

"From competitions, probably. I don't remember which ones, but I do know they were important. Anyway, try this one on for size." he said, handing her the wooden bow. She held it awkwardly for a few seconds, before holding it up. Her left hand was one the string, much like his own had been. He looked at her curiously.

"Which is your dominant hand?" he asked.

"My left, why?" she asked. He nodded, fixing her posture a bit. He fixed her hold on the bow.

"Alright, pull the string back as far as you can, do this a couple times until you get used to the pull, then I'll have you practice with an arrow. You don't be able to shoot a target right off the bat, without at least a few practice shots." he said.

She grit her teeth, struggling to pull the string back. Even though she was a bit strained, she was able to do it. She let it go, the loud snap startling her a bit. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I was like that when I first started this." he said.

"It's not funny. This is really hard." she said with a pout, puffing her cheeks.

"No it's not. The forty pound bows are what they normally start you out with. Do that a few more times and we'll start the practice shots." he said, walking off to the left of his room, where his quiver was.

He slung it around his shoulder, pulling out one of the practice arrows that had rested inside. He grabbed his compound bow and set the arrow up, taking a shot at one of the stationary targets across the room. Sayaka watched with rapt attention, memorizing his technique. He finally let the arrow fly, nailing the dummy right between the eyes. He let out a small breath, drawing another arrow.

"That was amazing." She said.

"It's nothing really...that was a basic shot. I've done trick shots before, but for that I need a long bow, which I don't have. Well...I could still do it with this one, but it's a bit of a hassle." he said.

"I think it's amazing. It was enough to get you in this hellhole right?" she asked.

"I suppose that's true." he said. He watched her practice her draw, seeing that it was becoming easier and easier for her. It wouldn't be long until she was able to pull it back without straining herself.

"So um...I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Which is?" he asked curiously.

"Well...I know it's best not to think about it, but I was thinking about our motive."

"Oh...I suppose everyone is thinking about it, who isn't? With the horrible crap that Monokuma forced everyone to watch." he replied.

"This is going to sound really messed up but...I was actually thinking of killing someone." she said.

He looked at her wide eyed, taking a bit of a stance. She saw his posture, and quickly backed away, fear in her eyes.

"I'm not gonna, I talked myself out of it. I was just desperate, and when I started thinking about it, I just couldn't help but feel disgusted at myself. I stooped that far, and almost fell right into Monokuma's paws. That's why I came to talk to Makoto, but he was busy so I came to you." she said. He sighed, lowering his guard a bit.

"I'm rather shocked that you thought about murdering someone. You best not let people know about that alright? We don't want anyone to lose trust in you." he said.

"I know...but I just..I needed to see my band mates, they are my everything. I had a hard life growing up, my father raised me and my little sister all by himself, after our mother passed away. He was barely home, always trying to make ends meet, and make enough money to take care of us. He always wanted us to have the very best toys and clothes, whatever we wanted. We didn't see much of him, so me and my little sister Yukki, often times spent time alone, or with each other." she said.

"I'm...sorry to hear that." he said, feeling a little guilty.

He had been prepared to attack his friend as soon as she said she was planning murder. He felt awful himself, and only felt more shame at potentially attacking a girl.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me. Anyway, me and Yukki started watching morning shows on the weekends, and sometimes they would play some idol concerts. They were amazing, their music was happy and filled with hope. They wore bright outfits and always had smiles on their faces...I wanted to be like that. To make people smile, just like they made me smile.

So I worked hard, and did everything I could to be spotted by an agent. My dad even quit his job and moved us to Tokyo to have a better chance to be found, he even managed our group before we actually went big. My sister was actually my back up singer." she said.

"I see...that's why you screamed after that video...you saw your sister and the rest of your group right? Most likely dead?" he asked, earning a nod from him.

"They were all on stage, laying there as if they had been killed. I'm not sure if they were or not...seeing my sister like that...I don't know, it drove me insane...so many things whirled in my mind, and even after we all left, I settled on one solution...to kill someone. I felt like a hypocrite, especially after I told you that killing wasn't the answer...I felt lower than dirt. I remembered that you too had a little sister, and so does Makoto...so I figured I could talk to the two of you about it. I can't bring myself to tell Makoto that I was going to kill someone...I mean, I even stole this." She said, pulling a large kitchen knife from behind her back. His eyes widened a bit as she dropped it to the ground.

"Oh my god...Sayaka."

"I know...I'm worthless...I've done so many shady things just to keep my dream of being an Idol alive. I thought coming to this school was going to be great, it was my chance to make it mainstream, past Japan and into the world...but then this shit had to happen and...I don't know what to do." she said, falling to her knees.

She started crying, her shoulders shaking with each sob. Yuno however walked to her side, grabbing the knife from the ground. He held it up, looking at his reflection on it, even though he was trying hard to keep himself together, his eyes told him other wise. He reached behind his back, slipping the knife into his belt. He grabbed Sayaka's arm, and pulled her to her feet.

"None of that crying shit. When your here, you don't cry, you get even. Hold your bow up." he said.

She nodded, wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve. She held her bow up, hands shaking a bit. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, making sure it had one of the training tips and then set it up for her. He took her DVD case and set it on top of the training dummy, walking back to her side, he helped her keep her bow steady.

"Draw the string back as far as you can, and once you do, steady your breathing. Aim with both eyes, focus solely on the target, nothing else matters right now. Slow your heart beat down, when you feel like you have calmed down and have the target in your sight, let it fly." he said. He watched her closely for a second, as she steadied her breathing.

He had to admit, she had great control over it, most likely her idol training in action. After a minute, she let the arrow fly, nailing her disk right in the center. It fell to the ground with a dull thud, the arrow sticking straight through it. She looked at him, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Ha you said I would miss!"

"I said you would need more practice, I guess I was wrong, nice shot!" he said with a wide grin. She giggled, lowering the bow. She wiped the remainder of the tears from her face.

"Thank you Yuno. If you hadn't been here, I'm sure I would have committed a heinous crime. I can't even think about it." she said, hands shaking a bit.

"Then don't...listen, I don't know if your friends and family are alright, we know next to nothing right now, but what I do know is that we can't let that bear have his way. He wants our despair, so instead of giving him that, let's do everything in our power to give him hope. We'll give him hope until he chokes on it." he said, tightly grasping his bow. She gave him a nod.

"Right. We have to keep hope in our hearts, or else we'll do what he wants...maybe we should return that knife? Before the kitchen closes."

"Okay, let's go." he said, setting his bow back on it's special rack.

Sayaka handed him the recurve bow she had been using, and he placed it on top of the dresser. The two teens then left the dormitory, heading toward the cafeteria. The halls were empty, save for themselves. With the tension that was brought to them with those DVD's, they wouldn't be expecting to see anyone else for at least a day. They quietly stepped into the cafeteria, the lights had been dimmed a bit, almost to simulate the darkening day. Yuno looked back at the clock, seeing they had Fifteen minutes until Nighttime began.

"I can make you something if you want." he offered, earning a small nod from Sayaka. She had actually skipped dinner, being unable to think straight after everything had been going on.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"I can tell you haven't eaten anything. I mean, I haven't either." he said.

"How could you tell? I didn't make it obvious." She said, looking at him. He grinned, pointing to his temple.

"Because, I'm Psychic." he said. Her eyes widened a bit, and she let out a giggle, covering her lips with her dainty hand.

"Yeah right, you just have really good intuition." she said after she stifled her laughter. The two walked into the kitchen, startling both Hina and Sakura who had been quietly brewing some tea. Yuno grit his teeth, subconsciously grasping the knife behind his back.

"Ah, good evening Yuno, Sayaka. What brings the two of you here?" Sakura asked, glancing at the two. Hina was quietly sipping her tea, eyes narrowed at the two. Yuno swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, a small bead of sweat rolling down the back of his neck.

"We uh...came here to make something. I was teaching Sayaka here how to use a bow, and we ended up wasting a lot of time." he said.

"Are you sure you aren't here for another reason?" Hina asked, making a kissy face. Sayaka blushed, and Yuno shook his arms before himself.

"No no no! We came here purely to get something to eat, nothing more nothing less." he said.

He walked around them, spotting the knife rack on the wall, the slot where the knife had been clearly visible. He grit his teeth, with two others in the kitchen, he couldn't simply replace it. He kept walking, until he made it to the fridge. He pulled it open, looking at all the food stored inside.

"What are you in the mood for, Sayaka?" he asked.

"Anything is fine." she said, struggling to hide the blush on her face.

"Aw, how cute. He's already making food for her Sakura, isn't that adorable?" Hina asked, glancing at the quiet martial artist who was glancing at the two teenagers.

Yuno felt nervous under her gaze, as if she would spot the knife currently tucked under his shirt. He didn't have an excuse either, so all he could hope for was that they hadn't noticed it was missing, though that was very unlikely.

"Yes, it is very good to see two of our friends getting along so well. Perhaps we should leave them alone yes?" she asked. Hina huffed, finishing her tea.

"Alright, we can leave, but I'm taking my donuts." she said, grabbing the plate of donuts that sat beside the tea cup. She gave the two a wave before departing the kitchen. Sakura however glanced at the two, eyes narrowed.

"I trust that you aren't going to do anything foolish with that knife right Yuno?" she asked. His eyes widened a bit, before looking away.

"I uh...just came to return it, don't tell anyone okay?"

"Worry not, as long as you weren't planning murder with it, I shall forgive it this once." she said, taking her leave. He sighed, pulling the knife from his back. He walked over to it, placing it back on the rack.

"Do you think she knew the entire time?" Sayaka asked, glancing at Yuno who gave her a shrug. He pulled out a few things from the fridge, and started making a quick sandwich.

"We better hurry here, before we get in trouble." He said, carefully preparing the sandwich. After he was done, he passed it to Sayaka, who looked at it curiously.

"This looks really good." she said.

"It was my sister's favorite. She really didn't like mayonnaise so I had to make something she would like. Luckily, they had Cheese Whiz and Mustard, so it wasn't hard to make." he said with a shrug. She took a bite out of it, quickly swallowing it.

"Wow, it's not so bad."

"Thanks, this was the simplest thing I could make with the time restraint. We could just take some snacks back with us or something." he said with a shrug, placing everything back into the fridge.

He grabbed a couple bottles of water, handing one to Sayaka who graciously accepted it. After a few more minutes, the two made their way out of the cafeteria, pockets filled with several snacks.

"I really hope Hina doesn't spread rumors around, she seems really sweet but I can't really have people teasing us all the time." she said.

"Tell me about it, I don't think now is the best time for a relationship anyway. Don't get me wrong Sayaka, you are really cute but I doubt you could handle a relationship right now." he said.

"I wholeheartedly agree. Oh um..since we're a bit closer now, could you maybe call me Saya from now on? Saying my full name all the time must annoy you right?"

"Eh, not really, you have a pretty name so I like saying it" he said. The girl blushed brightly, looking at the floor. They finally reached their dorms, just as the Nighttime announcement played through the School's intercom.

"Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Celeste would be mad if we broke the rule she insisted we follow." He said, turning toward his own dorm. He slipped his key into the lock, slowly opening the door.

"Hey wait...this may sound really weird but...after all of the stuff that's going on, I'm not comfortable sleeping alone. Do you think maybe you could stay with me the night? It's okay if you don't want to, it sounds really odd." she said, blushing a bit.

"Are you sure? A boy and a girl sleeping in one bedroom together isn't really something people can take well. What if we get spotted?" he asked.

"We can leave before the morning announcement, that way no one will notice us until they get to the cafeteria." she said, a smile on her face. He shrugged.

"Alright then, I'll just grab a change of clothes and meet you in your room in two minutes."

"Okay, the door will be open, just come in." she replied, entering her own room. Yuno entered his own, turning the light on. His cheeks were slightly pink from the blush he had been holding back.

"Oh man, Sayaka Maizono is famous as all hell, and here I am sleeping in her room...I'm gonna have so many pissed off fanboys on my ass." he said.

He started heading over to his dresser. He pulled it open, not realizing the strap of his quiver had hooked on the corner of the drawer. When he opened it, it fell to the ground, spilling the arrows all over the floor. He sighed to himself, bending over to pick them up. Not having enough time to shove them back into the quiver, he simply placed them on top of the dresser, a few of them falling to the ground once more.

"Fuck it, those are staying on the floor until tomorrow." he said.

He pulled out his change of clothes, along with his body wash, thinking of grabbing a shower while he was over there. He also decided to grab his comic book, seeing as he was going to need something to distract himself. Nodding to himself, he turned to the door, flicking the light off and closing the door behind him.

He heard a sudden thud, coming from the bathhouse, but didn't really think anything of it. Shrugging, he walked toward Sayaka's room, giving a soft knock before entering.

"Sayaka, I'm here." he said.

"Come in, I just finished changing." her voice called out.

He locked the door behind him, taking a look around her room. It reminded him a bit of Mikan's room, since it had the same colored bed sheets. She had a few band posters on the other wise bare walls, as well as having a Music store standee of herself and her idol group placed in the corner of the room. Sayaka was sitting on her bed, wearing a sleeveless light blue night gown, that reached just below her knees.

Her hair was tied up into a single low ponytail, and she was wearing light blue socks to match. Beside her was her sewing kit, with a few spools of thread out of the case. She seemed to be holding one of her shirt's in her lap, looking it over. She looked up, giving him a smile.

"Hey, I just noticed that knife tore my shirt, so I've been trying to sow it up, thing is I never really learned how to sew." she said. He set his things on her dresser, looking at her oddly.

"You never learned to sow? Aren't you an idol?" he asked. She huffed, puffing her cheeks.

"I maybe an idol, but that doesn't mean I make my own clothes. I have people that do that for me." she said.

"Okay jeez, it was just a little joke. Let me see it, I may be able to do something about it." he said, sitting down beside her.

She handed him her short, showing him the tear in the shirt. It wasn't really long, but the shirt was clearly delicate, meaning it could easily be torn in half from a simple action. He hummed to himself, thinking of a solution.

"Can you fix it?" she asked.

"Easily. My sister tore her leggings all the time, so I taught myself how to sew in order to patch them up...I don't remember if my mom taught me or not...I don't really recall anymore. She would always tear her leggings. I still don't know why a ten year old needed to climb trees so much." he said, chuckling a bit. He looked down at the floor, remembering the motive Monokuma had given them. He felt Sayaka's hand on his shoulder and he looked at her, seeing her warm smile.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine. Actually, if Monokuma captured her for this motive, then maybe she and Yukki are together, if so my sister will definitely take care of her...I know she will." she said, glancing back at the standee in the back of the room.

She focused on one girl in particular, one that was a few inches shorter than her, and had her long brown hair tied up with an overly large pink bow. She held a microphone close to her lips, her left eye closed in a wink. She, along with everyone else, was wearing a beautiful pink dress, with matching white boots.

"I trust Yukki will be able to handle her then. Kotoko can be a bit spoiled at times, especially with her likes and dislikes." he said, reaching over for the needle. He grabbed the white thread and begun threading the needle.

"Oh, I gotta hear this...what's she like?" Sayaka asked, turning to face her friend, she sat cross legged, placing her head in her hands, giving him her utmost attention.

"Kotoko is...she's unique, to say the least. She has a passion for acting, and ever since she was little she always pursued that as her talent, even earning herself the title of Lil Ultimate Drama from Hope's Peak Elementary School. Whenever she saw a movie she liked, she would memorize the script and act it out to her friends, and get very satisfying results. Her acting brought crowds, and that's what made her mother start...heading down a dark path." he said.

"Her mother?" she asked. He gave her a nod, simultaneously cutting the thread and tying it at the end.

"Kotoko and I aren't blood related. She's my adoptive little sister, but I learned to love her all the same, even before she was my sister I would always try to watch her little plays. She was always at that big park in town, the one with the mermaid fountain, and she would always have a new script to try out.

She was very diligent like that. However, as I said before, her mother thought of nothing but the money that could be made off her acting, so she made some calls, sent in some videos, and little Kotoko was cast in her first Television Series. She was sure to be one of the more popular child actors, and she was even nominated for an award at one point. However, with more fame came more money, so her mother searched for a producer, so that she could cast her daughter in her first big movie. The producer easily accepted, seeing something else from the little girl." he said.

He drove the needle through the cloth, passing the thread through it, he figured a running stitch would suffice. He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. Even though he had most of the memories revolving around his little sister now, he felt like he didn't want to tell this story. Even now, it made him angry to even recall it.

"What did he see? Did her see her natural talent? Maybe a singing voice?" Sayaka asked, a hopeful look in her eyes. He shook his head, glancing at the wall.

"He didn't see any of those things. He saw...he saw a little girl...a little girl he wanted to turn into his toy. That producer...no...that vile excuse for a human being, that vapid piece of shit. All he saw in Kotoko was nothing more than a sick gain. In order for him to produce a movie, he convinced Kotoko's mother to allow him to..." he stopped, feeling some hot tears running down his face.

He stabbed himself with the needle, but didn't even notice it. He pulled it out, and continued stitching her shirt. Sayaka's hopeful expression changed to one of worry. Finally, he got the confidence to continue.

"That man, convinced her mother to allow him and his friends to...have sex with Kotoko." he said. Sayaka gasped, eyes widening in shock. Yuno registered her shock, but decided to continue.

"Not only that, her mother offered herself as well, so that they could be together while this vile act took place. They recorded it, and sold it to the black market. The man kept his word, and made Kotoko famous, but in a terribly fucked up way. But it didn't end there, for six months, this happened, often times Kotoko would run, only to be found and taken advantage off, the men that did it usually telling her they would be gentle with her, something that became her trigger word. As soon as they said it, she stopped, and became nothing more than a doll." he said.

"Oh Yuno...I didn't...I'm..." Sayaka was speechless, she couldn't find the words.

What could she say after hearing something so horrible? What kind of person would put their daughter through that? All for the sake of money too. She felt anger flowing through her, as well as sadness.

"I had to testify against her mother, because Kotoko was too far gone to speak for herself. She needed counseling, she was fine after awhile, but she relapsed recently. She's tried to kill herself six times already, and she was finally recovering, and then that bastard Monokuma. He had to capture her, and let those vile men near her...I swear when I get out of here, I will find the bastard behind this and murder him myself." he snapped, stabbing his finger again, this time yelping in pain.

He pulled the needle out of it, seeing all of the little dots that peppered his skin. He looked at the shirt, seeing several pink specks of blood staining it. He tied the thread and cut it, now being fully sewed, but smeared in blood.

"Sorry Sayaka, I got some blood on it."

"Don't worry about it, I'll clean it later." she said, taking the shirt and placing it beside her. She instead stood up, reaching for her night table where she pulled out a box of band aids.

"Actually, I was thinking of taking a shower, I'll put that on afterwards so I don't get it all wet." he said standing up.

"Sure thing, I'm sorry about this making you relive that." she said. He shook his head, wiping his tears away.

"It's fine. Anyway, I suppose I can move on from that part...Kotoko improved quite a lot, and was able to get her wish granted and allowed to live with me and my older sister. We did our best to take care of her, and watch her closely. She was a sweet girl, going on about her love of totally adorbs things, and her love of peeled chestnuts as well as her hatred of regular cute things and unpeeled chestnuts..she's a really weird girl, but I wouldn't trade her for the world. She's my little sister, and I love her with all my heart." he said firmly.

"I can't wait to meet her, provided we make it out of here alive...and if somehow I don't...will you tell her about me?" Sayaka asked.

"I'm not telling her about you Sayaka." he said firmly.

"W-what?" she asked, taken aback. He chuckled, crossing his arms and giving her a lopsided grin.

"You'll just have to tell her yourself, because you and I are getting out of here alive. And when we do, you are going to sing her a song, I remembered one called Romeo and Cinderella, I think that one will do." he said, giving her a wink.

"Oh come on, everyone always talks about that song...Is it because of the costume?" she asked, clearly annoyed.

"Maaaaybe." he said with a chuckle. He walked over to where his clothes were, grabbing them off the dresser. He took his boots off, placing them beside Sayaka's shoes.

"Ah damn it, I forgot my towel." he said, noticing he hadn't grabbed it.

"Use one of mine, bottom drawer." Sayaka said, walking over to the closet where she placed the now fixed shirt. He opened the drawer, pulling out a fluffy pink towel. He looked at Sayaka curiously, getting a curious look back.

"You really like pink don't you?" he asked.

"Sorry, it's one of my favorite colors. I also like the scent of dark chocolate." she said, glancing at the body wash in his hand.

He blushed a bit, making his way toward the bathroom. He swiftly entered, closing and locking the door behind him. He walked to the other side of the room, placing his clothes on top of the toilet. He turned to open the water, only to realize that the water had been cut off. He sighed angrily, stepping out of the bathroom.

"So...I forgot there isn't any water at Nighttime, so I guess I'm going to sleep without one." he said, closing the door behind him.

"I completely forgot, or else I would have told you." she said.

"It can't be helped, I took one before lunch so it's alright." he said with a shrug. He unzipped his jacket, pulling it off of himself. A few kitty barrettes dropped to the floor, making him sigh.

"Damn it, I thought I tossed these." he muttered under his breath.

"How could you think of tossing these? They're so adorable." Sayaka replied, grabbing a few off the floor. They were in different colors, but she seemed to favor the pink ones out of all of them.

"Really? If you like them so much you can have them." he said, grabbing the barrettes he had won, dropping them into her hands. Her face lit up, and she gave him a warm smile.

"Thanks Yuno, you are such an awesome friend."

"Sure, it's not like I'm going to use them anyway." he said.

He looked at the far wall, trying to forget the fact that he had pinned three of them to his hair the day before. She was about to say something when a yawn escaped her lips. He glanced at the wall clock, realizing it was close to midnight.

"Alright Miss Pop Sensation, it's time for bed." he said.

"Alright dad, I'll go to bed soon." she said. He rolled his eyes, grabbing one of the spare pillows from her bed, before dropping it to the ground. She looked at him oddly.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting ready to sleep?" he shrugged. She shook her head, placing her balled hands at her hips.

"No no no, you aren't sleeping on the floor. Get up on the bed, it's big enough for the both of us." she said.

"Sayaka...this is really weird for me. I know we're friends but.."

"No excuses, I'm not taking no for an answer." she said.

He sighed, figuring out that it was better to listen to her rather than piss her off.

She flicked the lights off, double checking the door to make sure it was locked. The two finally got into the bed, awkwardly staring at the ceiling, the only source of light being the clock that sat on her night stand.

"Maybe I should get a night light, it's pitch black in here." Sayaka said, earning a nod from Yuno, though she didn't even notice it. He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Man, what a long stressful day. At least I'm glad it's over, good night Saya." he said, turning over.

"Good night Yuno, sweet dreams." she replied quietly, looking at the ceiling. She couldn't help but lose herself in thought.

" _Today was really bad. If it wasn't for him...I would have done something horrible...I can't thank him enough. From now on, I promise to myself and my friends to survive through this. I can't die here, not without seeing Yukki. Little sister, if you are out there, and are with Kotoko, please keep her safe."_

With those final thoughts, the Ultimate Pop Sensation drifted off to sleep.

Up in the fourth floor, Junko yawned loudly after staring at all of the computer screens. She had been immensely bored, even after giving them all a motive, they didn't act. She had watched Sayaka take the knife from the kitchen, and had seen the reactions of a few others, Celeste's being the most entertaining. Who knew someone could care so much about a fat furball of a cat?

That didn't matter to her, what did matter was getting the ball rolling. It was already past midnight and no one had done anything. After hearing Yuno and Sayaka chat for nearly an hour, she turned away from that monitor, instead glancing at the station that over looked the first floor cameras. She grabbed a can of soda, opening it with her teeth and taking a long gulp from it, sighing contently as the fizzy liquid washed down her throat. The hallways on the first floor were empty, so there was nothing of interest. The young woman leaned back in her seat, rubbing her eyes.

"How despairingly boring. I would have thought those kids would have started an out right massacre by now. Jeez, I underestimated all of them quite a bit." she said, running her fingers through her strawberry blonde hair. She glanced at a few of the bedrooms, watching as most of her friends either slept or were doing something to distract themselves.

"Ugh...maybe I should have brought in another Class 79 student, I know this particular one would have gotten the ball rolling. I still don't get why Nurse girl begged me to be locked in with these fools knowing full well she would lose her memory permanently. The despair on her face was delicious." she said with a giggle.

Twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, she glanced at Monokuma, who lay prone on a seat next to her. The bear had been inactive due to not needing it for anything. She was about to say something to it when something caught her eye. She saw someone running down the hall in the first floor, being chased by another person. She instantly sat up, zooming in on all the cameras, trying to see what was going on. Her eyes widened, especially when she saw that it was her dear older sister who was being chased.

"Oh...what is going on here? I would have thought she would have defended herself...then again she is pretending to be me. Monokuma, go make me some popcorn, this is wonderful." she said happily. The robotic bear responded, hopping off his seat. Surely this would make for an interesting investigation.

xxx

Yuno groaned, trying to ignore the feeling of someone poking his face. He didn't know what time it was nor did he care. He just wanted to sleep in. However, the poking increased and he had no choice but to give in and open his eyes. He was greeted by bright lights, as well as Sayaka, who was smiling at him.

"You wouldn't wake up, even after I shook you." she said.

"Sorry, I'm a heavy sleeper." he said, sitting up to stretch his tired limbs. It was around 6:40, twenty minutes before the morning announcement would begin. He sighed angrily, seeing as he still couldn't take his shower. Sayaka giggled, shaking her head.

"I take it you still want to take your shower right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm really annoyed, but I guess I can take it after the morning announcements. I'll just come back for my clothes later." he said, getting off the bed.

He grabbed his hoodie off the dresser, slipping it onto himself, followed by his boots. Sayaka had already changed out of her night gown, slipping into her uniform. Nodding to themselves, the two decided to head to the cafeteria, even though it wouldn't be open for them to enter. They decided to just wait by the doors, both reading some comics they had gotten from the store.

"You were right about these comics, they are really good." Sayaka said, looking at her friend who was sitting next to her.

"Yeah, I'm more of a DC fan, but I don't mind reading some other stuff once in a while. It was the only other interesting thing I could find, and I really didn't want to read Monokuma's Origin story. I wanted to burn them all when I first laid eyes on them." he said, making her giggle.

It wasn't long before a few other students made their way toward the cafeteria, Taka being one of the first ones, followed by Celeste and surprisingly enough, Mikan.

"Good morning Classmate Yuno, Classmate Sayaka, how was your night?" Taka asked.

"It was alright I guess. Still a little pissed due to that motive, but I'm over it." Yuno said, a smile on his face.

"Of course you are. I saw the two of you leaving Sayaka's dorm before I myself came down here, care to explain?" Celeste asked, getting a blush from the two.

"It's not what you think, we shared a bedroom because I was scared. I actually learned a lot about Yuno and his little sister, though most of it isn't pleasant." Sayaka said, frowning a bit.

"I learned a bit about Saya's little sister too. We figured, if Monokuma used them for our motive, then they must be together somewhere. I know they'll take care of each other, I have hope that they will." He said with a smile.

"Saya?" Celeste asked curiously.

"It's a nickname. We feel we can get along better with nicknames, please feel free to call me that as well, I don't mind." the Pop Sensation said, a smile on her face.

"Well said, we have to build lasting bonds if we want to get out of this academy alive. Friendship is very welcome..." Taka was interrupted by the screen turning on, the image of Monokuma appearing on it.

" _Ding Dong Ding Dong, Good Morning Students of Hope's Peak Academy, it is now 7:00 AM. Let's all get down to business and have a great day."_

The screen turned off, and the grate blocking the cafeteria slowly started to rise. Yuno stood up, helping Sayaka to her feet, shortly before stepping into the cafeteria.

"Alright, I believe it's best to make some breakfast for our fellow students. Any volunteers?" Taka asked, glancing at the four students currently gathered. Mikan looked away, shivering a bit.

"I-I'm n-not good at c-cooking." she said.

"I can only make simple things, nothing specific though." Sayaka said.

"Worry not, I'll take care of breakfast. When my mother ran her cafe, I was usually the one that made breakfast anyway. Anyone allergic to anything?" Nick asked, walking into the cafeteria. Everyone shook their heads, and he proceeded to the kitchen.

"Nick, before you go, do you know how to make Royal Milk Tea? It is a personal preference of mine." Celeste asked curiously.

"Sorry Celeste, my mom was the one who made the tea, not me. I usually just worked on the baked stuff. I can try to make you some but I don't want you to drink something bad." he said.

"I can make it, my older sister showed me how once...I think." Yuno said.

"You think? What do you mean by that?" Celeste asked curiously.

"Oh..it's nothing. We were both really young so I don't remember well, don't worry, if it tastes bad I'll make another cup." he said with a smile.

"Very well, do not disappoint me Yuno." she said, taking her usual seat. He nodded, giving a quick goodbye to Sayaka before following Nick into the kitchen. He walked over to the spice rack and started looking for some fresh tea leaves. After finding them, he grabbed a pot, filling it with a bit of water.

"Uh, shouldn't you put milk in that?" Nick asked curiously, grabbing a bag of flour off the shelf.

"If you boil milk, it will spill over the top of the pot. Surely you know this right? In order to make this kind of tea, you have to brew the leaves in a mixture of water and milk, adding in more milk than water. Once it's in a pre boil, you drain the leaves out of it and then sweeten it." he said, walking over to the fridge to grab a bottle of fresh milk.

He grabbed a liquid measuring cup, pouring the milk until it hit the ¾ cup line. Once he poured the milk into the pot, he turned it on, grabbing a spoon from the drawer.

"So, any preferences for breakfast?" Nick asked curiously.

"Not really, well...I haven't had waffles in a while." he said.

"Waffles it is, regular, blueberry, vanilla or strawberry?" he asked.

"Strawberry Vanilla, please. If your waffles are as good as your pastries, than I have to try this." he said with a grin.

Nick nodded, and started making the waffle mix, cutting up the strawberries while mixing all of the dried ingredients. Yuno however focused solely on the tea, making sure it didn't boil to fast. Finally, after a few minutes, the tea was done. He pulled out a small tea cup and a strainer, pouring the tan liquid into the cup, making sure none of the tea leaves actually got through. He seasoned it with a few sugar cubes, and brought the steaming cup to his lips, taking a small sip from it.

"Oh wow, it's actually really good." he said, taking another sip.

"Yes, but is it to Celeste's standards?" Nick asked.

"I don't know. Guess she'll have to be the judge of that." he said, grabbing another cup.

After he poured it out, making sure not to spill any, he grabbed a small spoon, setting it beside the cup on the small plate. The last thing he grabbed was the small tray filled with sugar cubes. He swallowed hard, making his way out of the kitchen. He took notice of everyone in the cafeteria, all quietly chatting with each other. Byakuya obviously being by himself, with Touko surprisingly close to his table.

He noticed Sakura and Hina were sitting together, talking about protein shakes and what not. Makoto, Sayaka and Mikan were quietly talking, slowly comforting the nurse who seemed to be frightened by Bryce who wasn't anywhere near her. He finally approached Celeste, who had been playing a game of Solitaire with a worn looking deck of cards. She looked up, a small smile on her face.

"Um...I didn't know how you took your sugar so I brought it with me." he said.

She didn't answer, taking the tea from his hands, along with the sugar. A few people watched curiously as the young woman seasoned her tea. She inhaled the aroma a bit, glancing at Yuno with her crimson orbs.

"What leaves did you use?" she asked.

"Assam leaves of course." he said proudly.

She slowly brought the small cup to her lips, not taking her eyes away from him. He watched with bated breath, knowing full well the Ultimate Gambler was fucking with him. She took a dainty sip of it, pulling the cup away a second later. She watched him curiously, her face showing no emotion whatsoever. Someone coughed, making him realize everyone had gone silent. Celeste however remained quiet, taking another sip from the tea.

"Not bad Yuno, not exactly what I'm used to, but it's not bad." she said. He let out a breath, thanking the lord he hadn't angered the woman.

"Jesus Christ, you really know how to scare the hell out of people." he said. She gave him a giggle, tilting her head and giving him a sickly sweet smile.

"I am the Ultimate Gambler after all. My face has been crafted through years of gambler. No one has been able to break it, ever." she replied.

"So, are we gonna talk about possible escape routes?" Mondo asked, getting everyone's attention.

"Yes of course. We are here to discuss this after all, I was going to conduct another search of the first floor to see if we missed anything." Taka said.

"Hey...wait a minute, has anyone seen Junko? She hasn't shown up yet." Makoto said. Taka took a head count, realizing Makoto was right.

"I didn't see her, we can't begin without her." he said.

"I can go get her if you want. I forgot my eHandbook." Yuno said.

"Alright, do hurry." the Ultimate Moral Compass said. He nodded, heading toward the doors. He stopped for a brief second, glancing back at Sayaka.

"Um...would you like to come along Sayaka?" he asked. The girl nodded, standing up.

"Sure, I don't mind giving you some company. Besides, I want to take my shower now." she said firmly. They left the cafeteria, seconds later.

"Sorry about that, I forgot I needed your room key to get in and it would have been awkward to out right ask for it." he said. She nodded, handing him her key.

"It's alright Yuno. You know, I could read the thoughts flowing through you when you handed Celeste her tea. You were so nervous." she said. He rolled his eyes, flicking her nose.

"Ha ha, very funny." he said.

She blew a raspberry at him, her cheeks puffing cutely. They arrived at her dorm a few minutes later, and they quietly entered. He walked across the room, toward her night table where his eHandbook was charging. After he grabbed it, he slipped it into his pocket.

"I'll go get Junko, you can take your shower if you want." he said.

"I think I'll wait until after the meeting. It's best to hear what Taka has to say." she said.

He nodded, handing her key back to her. The two left, walking down the hall toward Junko's room. He rung the bell a couple times, but he didn't get a reply. The two shared a look, shrugging.

"Could she be asleep?" she asked.

"Don't know, Junko is usually one of the first ones up in the morning."

"Maybe she decided to sleep in today. It can't be helped." Yuno said, turning around.

He and Sayaka started heading back toward the cafeteria. However, the Pop Sensation stopped, noticing something pink smeared on the floor. It looked like...a footprint? She looked at the direction it pointed, seeing that it lead toward Yuno's room. She looked back at the teen, who had stopped to wait for her.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah...there's a pink footprint over here." she said.

"Pink footprint?" he said, taking a look at it.

His eyes widened a bit when the smell of copper hit his nose. He looked at his room door, seeing more specks of pink on the ground. He swallowed hard, and started walking toward it. He pulled out his room key, about to slip it into the lock, only to see what looked like a hand print on the door, the handle was also smeared in the pink liquid. He pushed the door a bit, seeing that it was opened, as if the lock had been broken off. He walked in, the smell of copper growing stronger. He also noticed the lingering scent of perfume in the area. Sayaka visibly paled, looking into the darkened room.

Due to the windows being blocked, no light came in, and he didn't have a digital clock like she did. He closed his eyes, hand flicking over to the light switch. Sayaka's eyes widened and she let out a blood curdling scream. Yuno cringed a bit, opening his eyes, only for his heart to stop.

Laying in a pool of blood, was the now dead body of the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima. She was laying prone on the tile floor, blood pooling around her, she was on her back, face contorted in pain, most likely from her final moments. He noticed three arrows were sticking out of her, one in her hand and two on her legs, speared in pink blood.

The bed sheets had been torn, and wrapped around her torso, possibly to stop the blood. He noticed one of his recurve bows had been broken clean in half, the bow string being tied around Junko's legs, possibly to stop her from running off. Several arrows had been spilled around the room, mostly from the night before, but he saw several of them all over the place. Finally, his training dummy had fallen back, his DVD stabbed right through the center with an arrow. A vibrant pink arrow had been smeared onto the case with blood, making it seem like it was pointing to Junko's deceased form.

The arrow pointed from Yuno's name, making it seem like a message Junko herself had written. After taking in the scene, he almost passed out, the feeling nausea rising in his stomach. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sayaka was sobbing now, tears falling down her cheeks, her mouth stifling her sobs.

"Guys, what's wrong? We heard Sayaka scream." Makoto said, taking a look inside Yuno's room, much like the Idol, he also let out a shrill scream, not believing what he was seeing, as if on cue, the intercom came on, and the voice of that two toned bear filtered through it.

 _"Ding Ding Ding, a body has been discovered. It's about damn time too, I was growing bored. Before we start anything, I want everyone to head into the Gymnasium for a bit of an assembly. This is so exciting."_ Monokuma cried out happily, before ending the broadcast.

Yuno tightly held onto Sayaka, trying to stop her from crying. Makoto closed the door, not wanting to see the scene anymore, instead he guided the two to the Gym, the others slowly catching up.

"So, who bit the dust?" Leon asked.

"It was Junko...someone...oh god." Sayaka said.

"Hmm...so the airhead Fashionista goes first, what an interesting start to this game." Byakuya said, getting a glare from Yuno. He couldn't believe someone was relishing in the death of their friend.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? One of our friends is dead for Christ sakes. Have some respect." Nick snapped, clearly angry. The teen hadn't even finished preparing breakfast, evident by the flour on his face and the pink batter on his apron.

"Pfft, if they died that meant natural selection got them. She didn't do anything anyway, just another useless person who can't do shit." Bryce added, earning glares from most of the others.

The teen didn't seem to care at all. Yuno glared at him, and the teen only gave him a smirk.

They all arrived at the gym, walking deeper into the large room. Once they had assembled before the stage, Monokuma appeared, a grin on his face.

"Hello everyone. It's a wonderful morning, one of ya got axed during the night, and it was quite the show." he said.

"Whatever, now that they did does that mean that they get to go free?" Leon asked.

"Nope, it's not that simple spiky. In fact, I brought you all here to discuss the next part of the process." he said excitedly. Celeste sighed, shaking her head.

"I knew it wasn't that easy."

"Now that one of you is dead, we must discuss the second part of the Graduation Clause. After this assembly is over, you will all be given some time to check out the scene of the crime and assemble an investigation, putting together a case to find the murderer. After the investigation is done, we will then hold a class trial to find the real culprit."

"Class Trial? There's a trial?" Mondo asked, startled and curious.

"Indeed there is, it's a form of justice. The premise is simple, all of you will be pitted against each other in order to find the real culprit, if you all choose correctly, then the blackened student will be punished for their crimes, if you all choose wrong, then everyone else will be punished and the blackened will go free. I'm sure it will all be beary interesting."

"So, this is like an actual trial, and in order to find out the murderer, we have to find clues that will lead to his or her capture. This is rather interesting." Kyoko said, a hand on her chin.

"Finally, if you all look at your eHandbooks, you'll notice that you can finally access the Truth Bullet application, within is the Monokuma file, detailing everything about the victim, use it to your advantage. It will also update based on your discoveries relating to the case and will also be updated with all the clues. Now that the rules for the investigation have been explained, it's time for you to go out there and search for whodunit, good luck."

With that the bear disappeared, leaving the stunned students behind. Everyone took out their eHandbooks, curious about the new file. Yuno himself looked through the information.

 **Victim's name: Junko Enoshima**

 **Time of Death: 12:35 AM**

 **Place of Death: Yunosuke Nagahama's Dormitory**

 **Cause of Dead: Several stab wounds to the chest caused by sharp arrows.**

 **The Victim was found early this morning by Yunosuke Nagahama, Sayaka Maizono and Makoto Naegi, laying prone in Yunosuke's bedroom floor. The blood had been pooled all around her body, and it seemed as if someone had tried to bandage her up with the bed sheets, only to flee the scene. The victim died shortly after from blood loss.**

"Hey hey, take a look at this. She was killed in Yuno's bedroom." Leon said, glancing up from his eHandbook. The teen in question visibly paled, seeing everyone's harsh glares on him.

"No...wait...you don't honestly think I did it right?" he asked.

"I don't know dude, but it seems like it's pointing to you. It's really obvious." Mondo said, not feeling any guilt at his accusation.

"It said she was stabbed several times in the abdomen, and you have sharp arrows, which could be used for stabbing someone. Hell, it says the arrows were the murder weapon." Bryce said.

"Oh come on, I know you and I don't get along, but you know I wouldn't kill anyone." he said. Bryce chuckled, shaking his head.

"Really? Remember that death threat you gave me on day one? For throwing that pig faced broad onto the ground?" he asked, gesturing to Mikan who clammed up, a few tears falling down her cheeks. Yuno grit his teeth, about to retort.

"Hey, stop blaming him. Yuno didn't murder her, I would know because he and I slept together last night." Sayaka said. Yuno looked at her, eyes widened in shock.

"What?" Nick cried out. Realizing her mistake, she quickly shook her head.

"No no no...what I meant to say was that we shared the same room, in a totally platonic way. So there was no way he was able to kill her." She said.

"Hmph, likely story. We shall see about that after the investigation." Byakuya said, walking out of the room, followed by several others. They all passed him, looking at him with disdain on their features.

"I didn't kill her...why would people think that?" Yuno asked, visibly angered and saddened by this revelation. Makoto shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you didn't do it, you aren't capable of something like this. Which is why we have to prove your innocence, starting with the crime scene, lets go check it out."

"I-it's not m-my thing but, I c-can perform an autopsy on the body." Mikan said, earning a nod from the brown haired teen.

"Thanks Mikan, that would be a great help." he said.

Yuno swallowed hard, shaking a bit. He still couldn't believe what was happening. Junko was dead, someone had actually killed her, and now everyone was looking at him. It was all brought upon them by that motive, someone got sloppy and now his head was on the chopping block. He was going to do everything in his power to find the real culprit, he had to get to his sister, he had to get out of this academy alive. He felt Sayaka take a firm hold if his hand, giving it a soft squeeze, he knew she was thinking the same thing.

"Let's go." he said firmly, leading his friends out of the gymnasium, back toward the crime scene that his room had become.

 _(Academy of Hope: End)_

 _ **(Academy of Despair: Deadly Life Begin:)**_

 **Surviving Students 16**

xxx

"Hiyoko, I'm growing scared...Daisuke hasn't shown up yet." Sonia said, glancing at the blonde dancer.

The two of them were currently in the conference room of the new Remnants of Hope Headquarters. They were both looking out the window, glancing down into the city below them, eyes focused on all of the destruction they had caused. It was still a bitter pill to swallow, even though it had been a mere day and a half since they snapped out of despair. Fourteen of their friends were still out there, causing despair all over the world. She tore her eyes away from the glass, glancing at the princess. She took a hold of her hand, giving her a smile.

"It'll be fine...Daisuke wouldn't let us down...after all he is the Vice commander of this organization. After he comes back, we need to make plans to secure our friends, and find a way to restore their minds." she said.

"Indeed, but we also need to get our underclassmen out of Hope's Peak Academy alive. If we want to save the world, we'll need their talents as well." Sonia said firmly, earning a nod from the traditional dancer. The doors to the room flew open, and Erika ran in, followed by Akira and Ezekiel. The two women turned around to face them. Hiyoko swallowed when she saw Erika, who was balling her eyes out.

"We have some...bad news." Ezekiel said. Sonia clenched her jaw, giving the boy a nod.

"Please, don't keep me waiting in suspense."

"We have received reports from some of our ground operatives. Junko Enoshima...she killed Daisuke...the Despairites tore his body apart...there is nothing left." Akira said.

"Huh?" Hiyoko said, eyes widening. She felt her whole world shatter...her heart started racing, her throat tightening a bit. She felt sick to her stomach, the urge to vomit becoming rather apparent.

"What do you mean he's been killed? Do you have any proof?" Sonia cried out.

"Indeed, it was caught on video...I don't think you want to see it though." Ezekiel replied. Hiyoko felt a bit faint as she dropped to her knees. Sonia knelt down beside her, fanning her face.

"Hiyoko, are you alright?"

"Am I alright? Of course I'm fucking not alright! My fiancee is dead, the love of my life is dead! How the fuck do you want me to react?" she shouted in anger.

"I know, it hurts but we have to keep ourselves in check. We could easily fall back into despair!" the princess said firmly.

"Despair...despair...Despair...how I detest that fucking word. I loathe it, I want to crush it under he heel of my foot. I want nothing more than to grind it to dust, to find the one who plunged this world into it, and destroy her. I want death, I want destruction! Junko Enoshima must die." she hissed angrily, her eyes flashing crimson. She stood up, laughing as she headed toward the door.

"H-Hiyoko...where are you going?" Erika asked, fear in her voice. The blonde dancer gave her a bright smile.

"I'm going for a walk." she said cheerfully. Sonia swallowed hard.

"Someone stop her, before it's too late." she said. Ezekiel nodded, racing after the young blonde.

"What about you Lady Sonia, I fear you may fall into despair again...we cannot have you relapsing this soon." Akira said.

"I'll be fine...but if you will, I want you to strap me down until you know for certain that I will not fall. I want to listen to Daisuke's audio book for the next three hours. You'll be in charge until then." she said, earning a nod from the Cybernetic Technician.

"Follow me then, I've already got a chamber prepared for you and any other Ultimate Despair we may come across. It will suffice until I get the main plan ready." she said.

"Understood, Erika...I want detailed reports on the status of the School Life of Mutual Killing...I want to know what is going on and if anyone has died, alright?" Sonia asked.

"Yes ma'am...I'll...try too..focus on your request."

"Don't call me ma'am...I'm your sister now, remember?" the princess asked, showing off the Sterling silver ring on her finger. Erika nodded firmly, trying her hardest not to burst into tears. It was however too late, as she had already been crying...


	4. Chapter 1 Act 3: Academy of Despair

**A/N: Well, the time has come for the First investigation and the first class trial. I took my time writing this and I have to say this and the chapter after it are by far one of my best, and it's only the first one in the story. There are still four more to go and I gotta say, they are going to be better than the last. I made it so literally every single little thing is important, no matter what it is, if it's something as simple as a misplaced post it note, it has value in this court case. That's one thing I really enjoy about the Danganronpa series, you have to think and It makes you seem like you are an actual detective, though I personally imagine that being way harder than it is in this game.**

 **I also wanted to say that this story is a bit of an AU, for more than a few reasons. Recently, the Danganronpa timeline was posted online and translated, sadly I don't have a link, but there is a Youtuber who talks about it, the name escapes me as of yet, but everything gets explained. The next part may contain spoilers, so my apologies for those.**

 **Basically, there are four classes in Hope's Peak Academy, the 76th class, which are the seniors of the academy, the 77th class, which is Hajime Hinata's class, the main characters of Danganronpa 2, which are the Juniors, the 78th Class, which is Makoto Naegi's class, the one from Danganronpa 1, the sophomores, and finally the 79th class, Yunosuke Nagahama's class, the final class to ever attend Hope's Peak Academy while it ran as an insitution. The Reserve Course Students are also part of these classes, but I assume that they are in a separate building, with the exception of Hajime who was by then known as the Ultimate Hope. Yuno's class was the only one who didn't lock themselves within Hope's Peak Academy during the tragedy as most of them had decided to go with family or friends. Only a few of them fell to despair and joined Junko in her take over of the world. In this story, Yuno, Bryce, and Nick are part of the 79th class, and there will be mentions to the rest of their class, which is currently not present, there will also most likely be more information on them later. I will post in the next chapter the list of Ultimate Students for his class and their titles. As for what happened to them, well you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Also, to keep it cannon with the timeline, the 79th class came into the academy the year before the tragedy, so instead of Makoto's class, it was Yuno's that was the final one. And as you know, Yuno's parents adopted Kotoko Utsugi so she didn't become a Warrior of Hope. Another Episode will be cannon with this story, only if I decide to add new characters to it, as of now, Kanon Nakajima, who is Leon's cousin, Yuuki Maizono, and Kotoko Utsugi are in Towa City, along with Komaru Naegi and a few other people. But I haven't come up with that plot yet, nor a plot for the sequel, if I decide to have one.**

 **Holy shit this is a lot of information. Lol...anyway I shall leave you with this fine chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. and leave a review, it keeps me motivated to keep writing.**

 **Update: As of 6/26/17 Chapter 1 Act 3 has been updated, aside from some minor grammar fixes, nothing has changed...Truth Bullets will now be bolded Italics, figured it would be better so everyone could see them easier within the writing...  
**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 1

Act 3

Academy of Despair _**(Deadly Life)**_

 _ **(Investigation Start:)**_

Walking back to his dorm, Yuno saw that it had turned into a cliché scene, resembling ones in Police shows. A few people were inside his room, looking around at literally everything, including his more personal items. Knowing full well he couldn't tell them to stop.

Byakuya was kneeling in front of the body, looking at the wounds that had been inflicted on her. He seemed to nod to himself before going to look at the arrows that had spilled onto the floor. Yuno decided to start his own investigation, and thankfully, Mikan, Makoto and Sayaka were there to help him.

"So Yuno, do you see anything out of the ordinary? It would be a good place to start." Makoto said. He nodded, looking at the door.

"Well, when I walked in here this morning, I noticed that the door was open. In fact, I just pushed it open, the lock wasn't engaged or anything, and I had my key, so I know I didn't leave it unlocked." he said.

"Maybe someone messed with the lock?" Sayaka asked.

"M-monokuma said t-these locks can't be b-broken." Mikan added. Yuno nodded, looking at the door frame. He knelt down toward the door jamb and looked closely at it, finding a blueish green wad was inside it. He poked it with his finger, feeling it was a bit squishy to the touch.

"Is this...gum?" he muttered.

"Maybe the culprit was chewing gum and in order to frame you, they jammed it in the door so it wouldn't open." Makoto said.

"Yeah, but that would mean someone did it while I was in this room, and I don't think I would have missed something like that. I can't think of anything else though." he said seriously.

" _ **Peppermint Gum was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"There's some blood on the handle of the door, and some of it on the floor too. Junko died inside this room, but could it have been she was actually stabbed in the hallway?" Sayaka asked, glancing at the pink specks of blood on the floor and the door.

"That is a likely scenario. But what was she doing in the hallway, especially past the curfew we all set?" Makoto asked.

"Maybe to get a snack?" Sayaka wondered, adopting a pensive look. Mikan shook her head, grabbing a small strand of her hair.

"No, that can't be it. The cafeteria closes at Ten, so she couldn't have gotten inside." she said.

"That is also true, but I did see some snacks in the school store. It's not much, but she could have gone there to grab some chips or gummies." Yuno said.

" _ **Blood stains in the Hallway, has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Bloody Footprint has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Sighing to himself, Yuno finally stepped inside his room, taking a good look around. Everyone that was currently inside was trying hard not to step in the blood that had pooled around Junko's body, someone had actually placed one of the spare bed sheets on the floor to step on, rather than step on the pink liquid that was all over the once clean tile floor. He noticed Byakuya was standing in his closet, looking inside it for something. Celeste was on the other side of the room, looking at the DVD that was carefully placed on top of the dummy. The last two people, Leon and Kyoko were both looking at the body, quite closely.

"I'll go talk to Byakuya, see if he found out anything." Yuno said.

He stepped around the blood that was on the floor. He wasn't ready to look at the body yet. Mikan had muttered something about the autopsy, and took out some gloves to begin the procedure, while Makoto and Sayaka split up to find some other clues.

At the closet, Yuno decided to look around. None of his bows were missing and had all been placed where they had been found previously. The quiver was on the ground, the strap broken and all of the arrows spilled out of it, he remembered having spilled the arrows but he had picked them up the night before. The Affluent Progeny looked at him, an amused look on his face.

"Come back to the scene of the crime have you?" he asked.

"I didn't do this Byakuya. I don't have what it takes to kill someone, it's cruel." he replied. The man chuckled, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Of course, I shall play along for now. I have my own personal question, do you know how to use these bows?" he asked.

"Well duh, I am the Ultimate Archer. I know the ins and outs of every bow I own. Long Bows, Compound Bows, Recurve Bows, Short Bows, Cross Bows, I know how to use, build and take them all apart." he said confidently.

"Hmm, and that means you have all the parts you need to take care of them correct? Some of the bows you own date back to the early 1900s and look to be in immaculate condition." he said.

"I have tools to fix them yes." He said.

To further prove his point, he reached for an orange bag that was on top of the shelf. It wasn't that big, but contained several pieces of equipment, spear bow strings, sights, oil, screws and wax for the string. Byakuya took notice of the lock that was placed on the bag.

"Are you able to open it?" he asked.

"I have the key to the lock yes. It's on my key chain, which I had with me all night." he said. The blond nodded, shoving his hands in his suit pockets.

"I am done here. I have all the information I need, I do hope you entertain me." he said, taking his leave.

" _ **Locked Repair Kit was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Shrugging, Yuno put the bag back in the closet, leaving the door open for those who wanted to take a look around. He turned to the spilled arrows on the ground, taking notice that most of them were broken, as if someone had stepped on them. He picked one of them up, looking at it closely.

"These are pretty hard to break unless you actually try to break them. For someone to break them from stepping on them, they'd have to be a very heavy person. Junko couldn't have broken these."

" _ **Broken Arrows was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Setting the arrows back down, he took a look at the quiver, seeing that it was torn. He remembered it had hooked on the corner of the drawer when he opened it, but it wasn't broken then.

"Hmm...someone must have ripped this open, probably thinking there was an arrow head or a bladed arrow inside. None of these are harmful unless you put the tips on. But those are in my bag."

" _ **Torn Quiver was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Locked Repair Kit has been updated."**_

Yuno decided to move toward the bed, seeing all of the bed sheets had been taken off of it. He looked at Junko's body, seeing several torn pieces of it had been tied around her body, around various spots on her chest. There was one firmly tied around her thigh as well, meaning she had also been stabbed there.

"The person who did this most likely did it accidentally, or else they wouldn't have bothered to stop the bleeding. That's probably when they broke the arrows."

" _ **Torn Bed Sheets has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Broken Arrows has been updated."**_

Moving around the body once more, Yuno decided to go to the back of the room, where Celeste was still looking over the DVD. She was holding her eHandbook in her hand, and her face seemed to be lost in thought. She looked up, giving him a tiny smile.

"Hello Yuno, how are you faring?" she asked politely.

"Not good. I'm still a bit sick from seeing a dead person in my room. It's the first real dead person I've actually seen. How can you be so calm?" he asked. She gave him one of her famous smiles.

"It's all about adaptation my dear. We all have to get used to the things we don't like. We're in a mad world, and this may become the norm for us. It goes to show what happens when you don't follow the rules." she said, all with that smile on her face and an upbeat tone.

"I..suppose. I can't get used to something like this though. Anyway, I came to talk to you about something, you said you saw us leave this morning from Sayaka's room right?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

"Indeed I did, you two tried sneaking out before the morning announcement and were so focused on not being seen that you didn't notice me in the hallway. I saw everything, and I admit, it was very cute." she said.

"If it comes up, will you testify for me?" he asked.

"Hmm...you did make me tea this morning, so I shall return the favor, only if you make me tea every morning." she said.

"Consider it done." he said with a smile.

" _ **Celeste's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Yuno, would you mind explaining something to me?" Celeste asked, earning a nod from him.

"Sure, whatever you need."

"You won several of those kitty barrettes and perfume bottles yesterday correct? What did you do with all of them?" she asked.

"Um...well I gave all the barrettes to Sayaka last night..well not all of them, I think I dropped a couple of them on the floor somewhere." he said.

"Do you remember what colors you got?" she asked.

"Green, Red, Blue and Pink, actually Pink was one of the most common color variations I was able to get. From the twenty seven that I won, Sixteen of them were pink, now that you mention it, I only saw fifteen of them when I handed them to Sayaka last night." he said.

"Hmm, how peculiar." Celeste said curiously.

"Um...not to derail your train of thought, but what do the barrettes have to do with this?" he asked.

"Look in Junko's hand, and you'll find your answer." she said, taking her leave. He gave her a weird look but just shrugged it off.

" _ **Kitty Barrettes has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Yuno turned to his training dummy, seeing the disk that was on top of it. He never shot his own disk, and Sayaka's was still on the floor, the arrow she used piercing the middle of it. This one however seemed to be pinned to the dummy, through the disk. He noticed the pink arrow drawn in blood, pointing to Junko's body.

"There is no way someone could have pinned this to this dummy without using brute strength. My training arrows don't have tips." he muttered. He grabbed the arrow, giving it a firm tug. He was surprised to find the arrow actually did have a tip, one made of stone.

"What the hell? Is this a primitive Arrow head? Where the hell did they get this?" he asked curiously.

" _ **Primitive Arrow Head has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Hey, that looks like one of the MonoMono machine prizes." Leon said, appearing next to Yuno. The purple haired teen looked at the baseball player, a curious look on his face.

"It does?"

"Yeah...that dick head Bryce got one from the machine after you left. It was a weird prize sure, and he didn't stick around to play again. Actually, he made some excuse about making himself food but I didn't even see him in the kitchen when I went there afterwards." he said.

"Thanks Leon, I can definitely use this information."

" _ **Leon's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Primitive Arrow Head has been updated."**_

"Hey, I also wanted to apologize. When I saw that Junko was killed here, I overreacted. I shouldn't have made it seem like you did it, now everyone thinks it was you, but I know it isn't." he said.

"I know, and I'm going to prove my innocence. It's alright man, we're cool." he said.

"Awesome. I'm pretty much done here, I'll help you out during this trial, don't worry...also, did you and Sayaka really sleep together?" he asked, wiggling his brows. Yuno blushed brightly.

"What...no! We only shared a bed, that's it. She was scared someone would kill her so we shared a room. Nothing more nothing less." he said.

"Suuuuuure."

Yuno punched his arm, earning a pained yelp from the teen, who rubbed his arm afterward. He still let out a laugh when he saw the archer's pink face. Yuno decided to move to the front of the room, after spotting a broken bow on the found. Sayaka was looking at it closely, lost in thought. When she looked up, she gave him a reassuring smile.

"We're finding out a lot of stuff with this murder. We're 100% sure it wasn't you who did it." she said with a wink.

"Well duh, I wasn't in this room last night." he said. She rolled her eyes, looking at the bow.

"Isn't this the bow that you gave me to use yesterday?" she asked.

"It is but, why is it broken?" he asked curiously.

"It seemed to have been snapped in half, right at the riser." She said, looking at it closely. Yuno noticed the stripped screws on the riser, loosing himself in thought.

"Someone tried taking it apart, no doubt for the bow string, seeing as it's currently tied around Junko's legs. But why would they need to do that? What was the purpose?" he asked.

"Maybe to restrain her from moving?" Sayaka replied. He shrugged.

"No way to know for sure. What I can say is I just lost one expensive bow, how were they able to break it so easily?" he asked.

"I noticed some scratch marks on the floor next to the quiver, maybe they hit it on the ground until they broke it."

"Makes sense. Thanks for the help Saya, I really appreciate it."

" _ **Broken Bow has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Bow String has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Sayaka's theory has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Yuno swallowed hard. He had already seen everything else, everything but the body. He steeled his nerves, and moved toward Junko's motionless body. The Fashionista who had been vibrant and full of life just the day before, now lay dead in a pool of her own blood, face contorted into a painful expression. He felt some tears run down his face. Remembering when he met her.

" _Better clothes may get you laid."_

That comment still reverberated through his mind. He had been a blushing mess in front of someone as famous as her, but he also realized she was just a normal girl, much like he was.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Junko." he said quietly.

After giving a small prayer, he started examining the body. He noticed the blood that had seeped through her shirt and the bed sheets. He counted three wounds total, two in the lower abdomen, and one near her breasts. He also noticed some bruises around her neck, as if she had been choked or something.

"Someone stabbed her three times. Most likely with one of those arrows...but now that I think about it, there are only four of them, if I count the one used to pin the DVD to the dummy." he said to himself. He glanced up at her face, seeing some blood on her forehead and what looked like a cut.

"What the...it's as if someone hit her. Maybe with the bow?" he said. He had noticed a bit of pink blood on the grip of the bow, and he knew those things were extremely hard.

" _ **Broken Bow has been updated."**_

Yuno grabbed one of the arrows stabbed through her arm and pulled it, the sound of flesh and blood made him gag, but he swallowed the vomit down, clenching his eyes as fresh tears started flowing. Once the arrow was free, he took a closer look at it.

"Another one of those arrow heads. These are primitive, so they can't be screwed into the shaft of these new arrows." he said. He noticed a bit of thread had been holding the head to the shaft. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was sewing thread.

"So, someone took these arrows from this room without me noticing, and then used one of the sewing kits to attach these arrow heads to them. Meaning it very well could have been a girl, since only they have those kits. This is just more confusing." he muttered dryly.

He set the arrow beside the body. He looked at her hand, seeing that it was closed. When he opened it, he saw the pink Kitty Barrette Celeste had alluded too. What was she doing with it?

"I did drop a lot of them yesterday, maybe she found it, and wanted to return it to me."

" _ **Kitty Barrettes has been updated."**_

Finally done with the body, he stood up. He had found all of the information it contained, so he needed to step away from it. He shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Are you alright?" Makoto asked. He shook his head.

"I'm not, but I am piecing this thing together."

"Don't you find it odd that she has all of those stab wounds? I also spotted a head injury, but something like that wouldn't be enough to kill her. Knock her out yes, but not kill." he said.

"No, she definitely died from being stabbed. She lost a lot of blood, but maybe she was still alive when the killer was in here making the scene. That would explain the broken bow and the head injury." Yuno said.

"Perhaps." Makoto said.

" _ **Monokuma File #1 has been updated."**_

Having finished his conversation, Yuno moved toward Mikan, who was writing something on a notepad, on closer inspection, he saw that it was the note pad he had been given when he entered the academy. She looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

"H-hey Yuno."

"Hi Mikan...are you done with the autopsy yet?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Not yet, it will take me a few more minutes to finish up. Sorry."

"It's no hurry, I just wanted to confirm something." he said.

"Alright...come back in around ten minutes and I should be done." she said.

Being done with the crime scene, he decided to step outside to get some fresh air. He found Mondo standing outside, hands in his jacket pocket. The man seemed a little lost. When he saw Yuno, he stiffened a bit.

"I didn't kill her, no need to react that way." He said simply.

"Sorry little man. I'm just on edge you know." he said.

Yuno nodded, brushing past him. He couldn't help but catch the scent of that god awful perfume. He cringed a bit and kept walking down the hall. He noticed the door to Junko's bed room was open. Growing curious, he stepped inside.

The only person that was currently in there was Kyoko, and she was looking at something very closely. She looked up at him, a pensive look on her face. She didn't say a word, simply returning to her investigation. He took a whiff of the room, groaning a bit.

"Ew, god. That damn perfume is all over the place." he said.

"That's because Junko dropped the bottle and it broke." Kyoko said, in a monotone. He walked deeper into the room, seeing the broken blue bottle on the floor. His eyes widened a bit.

"That's the bottle I gave her yesterday." he said. Kyoko looked at him curious. She stood up, crossing her arms.

"You were the one that gave her that perfume?" she asked.

"Yeah. I won three of them from the MonoMono machine. When I left the School store, I was heading back to my dorm when I passed by Junko. She had grown curious about the bottles in my hand and asked me what they were. When I showed them to her, she said she wanted one for herself, but hadn't found any coins to use. Since I didn't have a use for them, I just let her have one. I still have two of them back in my bed room. Maybe that's when I dropped the Kitty Barrette."

" _ **Broken Perfume Bottle was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Hmm...it's a possibility. Yuno, come take a look at this." she said.

She lead him to the back of Junko's bed room. On the girl's bed, was a flannel shirt, which had a decent tear in it. Beside it sat a sewing kit, the threaded needle still outside the package.

"So, she was sewing up someone's shirt?"

"Not someone, this is a guy's shirt. The size of it makes me think that it belongs to one of the taller males. This tear also looks intentional, look at where it starts." she said.

Yuno looked closer at the shirt, seeing that the tear itself was created near the middle of the shirt, and then it was torn downward to the hem. Usually, a tear would start at the hem, depending on what happened. Of course tears could start anywhere. This particular one was odd.

"It's as if someone intentionally tore this shirt, just to have her fix it." he said.

"No, it was torn intentionally so that the killer could get access to her sewing kit. One of the spools of thread is missing, the white thread that was used to attach the arrow heads to the arrows in your room."

"Could she have noticed it was missing?" He asked.

"Possibly, but I have a theory that the person who stole the thread and made the arrows and the killer are two different people. However, I don't have any solid proof to back up that claim." she said.

"I have my own suspicions too...but why would two people team up to kill Junko, and why her of all people?"

"Who knows, whatever the case, they built this scene to frame you. I know you aren't responsible for this, but it is up to you to prove yourself innocent, for your sake and mine, I hope everything you discovered is enough to set you free." she said.

" _ **Kyoko's Theory was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Missing Sewing Thread was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

The purple haired teen watched as the silent Kyoko made her way toward the door. He couldn't help but get a longing feeling in his heart. He didn't know why, but he felt strange around her. He noticed her stoic look, and blushed a bit, looking away from her. She left without a word.

He searched Junko's room for a bit longer, but he didn't find anything interesting, so he left. The smell of the perfume was bothering him and he needed to leave the room. When he did, he ended up bumping into Bryce, knocking something out of his hands. The teen grit his teeth and looked up at him.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked.

"Sorry man, I was lost in thought." he said. Bryce scoffed, and picked up the item he dropped, a MonoMono capsule. Yuno looked at it curiously.

"I don't know what you are thinking about, but if it's about the case don't. We already know you were the one who killed Junko, don't even bother with it." he said.

"I didn't do it, and I have more than enough proof to prove my innocence. Anyway, what's in the capsule?" he asked curiously.

"Oh this? Nothing special, just something for the trial, something that even you can put to good use." he said.

"Really? Is it an arrow head? Leon said that you won one of those yesterday."

"Heh, that orange haired bastard needs to keep shit to himself. I did win one of those yes, it was nothing more than a stupid prize. Now if you excuse me, I have to build up my investigation." he said, brushing past him.

"Before you go, you like flannel shirts right?" he asked. Bryce stopped looking at the teen with a scowl.

"Yeah I do, I have several of them, why?"

"No reason, carry on."

" _ **Bryce's Account has been added to your Truth Bullets."**_

The teen merely left, disappearing into the main hallway of the academy. Yuno looked at his eHandbook, noticing it had been well over ten minutes. He decided to head back to his dorm, since Mikan was most likely done with her autopsy. He stopped in front of his room, mentally preparing himself. He had already seen it all, but he still couldn't accept it. He pushed the door open, once again stepping into the crime scene. He noticed Hina and Sakura were looking over Junko's body, talking quietly to themselves. He walked over to where Mikan was, still writing in her note book. He tapped her shoulder, startling her a bit.

"Eep, don't hit me." she cried out, making him take a step back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." he said. She shook her head, forcing a smile on her lips.

"I finished my autopsy. I-if you'd like to read it, here it is." she said, handing him the note book. He took it from her hand, leaning against the desk. He started reading the report, skimming over the parts he knew.

"Victim received a stab wound to the lungs and liver, as well as one of the arteries in her leg. The head wound was enough to knock her out, but not enough to kill her. She died due to having a collapsed lung, as well as severe blood loss." he read out loud.

"She went into shock shortly after she was stabbed in the chest. I think that happened here, she was also the one who tied the bed sheet to her leg, and this is what caused the killer to hit her over the head with the bow. He also tied her legs so she wouldn't move. At least, that's what I think." She said calmly.

He was surprised to see the normally nervous nurse speaking so clearly. She must have fallen into her nurse mode and gained a bit of confidence because of it. He nodded, closing the notebook.

"Thanks Mikan, this will surely go a long way in clearing my name." he said.

" _ **Mikan Tsumiki's Autopsy Report #1 was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _Ding Dong Ding Dong."_

The monitor in Yuno's room suddenly lit up, showing the image of Monokuma sitting in his chair, holding a glass of wine in his hand, he had a bored expression on his face.

"Well well well, I got bored of waiting around, so I've decided to end this investigation. Everyone report to the red doors at the end of the hall in the first floor. I shall see you soon."

With that, the monitor shut off. A sense of dread suddenly washed over Yuno, as it was finally time for the much awaited class trial. He and Mikan shared a look, before conceding with the bear and heading toward the red doors they had seen in the other hallway. He saw the other students slowly making their way toward said doors, none of them saying a single word. When they reached them, the red doors opened, a bright flash of light blinding them a bit. He noticed Byakuya and Touko had already been inside the room, everyone else stepped inside, the doors closing behind them.

"Hmm, the time has finally come. Let's see if this trial will be entertaining, though I already know who the killer truly is." Byakuya said, looking at Yuno. The teen noticed everyone looking at him, some looks of shock while others of shame being directed his way. He sighed, clenching his hands.

"I didn't do it. Why won't anyone believe me?" he asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's because she was marinating in your room." Bryce said.

"Dude, have some respect. She's fucking dead, so that's the least you could do." Nick said, the baker was clearly tired of the architect's shit.

"You need to stop saying Yuno killed Junko, because he fucking didn't." Sayaka said, clearly angry.

"Whatever you say sweetheart. Your boyfriend is a murderer, so just accept it so we can get over it." Bryce said.

"Alright everyone, please get onto the lift. All of you will then be brought to the court room, the rest of the rules will be explained there." Monokuma said, appearing out of nowhere.

He pressed a button on the side of the lift, willing it to open. Everyone quietly filed inside, and the doors closed behind them. Yuno swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. The lift started moving downward, making him grow even more nervous. He could feel their eyes on him, but he didn't let it bother him.

"I have evidence to prove my innocence...I can't bring the real person to justice."

He looked at everyone around him, a frown written on his features. He still couldn't believe, one or more of his friends and classmates did this heinous crime. He felt sick to his stomach, how can someone do something so vile?

The lift finally stopped, the metal doors slowly opening before them. He grit his teeth, a serious look on his face.

"I promised you I would find your killer Junko, and I don't go back on my promises. There are a lot of inconsistencies in this murder, a lot of things that don't add up and a lot of things to prove I wasn't the one who ended your life. I will do my best to find the killer, or my name isn't Yunosuke Nagahama!"

 _ **(Investigation End)**_

 _ **(Class Trial Begin All Rise)**_

The Trial court room was nothing like Yuno had expected. It was large, large enough to be considered it's own building, and yet it was all under ground, beneath Hope's Peak Academy. The walls were painted a beautiful shade of blue, and decorated with candelabras, though the lights made them useless. There were also large red curtains, placed there merely for an aesthetic look. Before them all were Eighteen stands, all arranged in a circle of sorts.

Before the stands sat Monokuma on a large throne, as if he was the judge of it all and technically he was. The room itself also had a tile floor, which was black and white in color. The last thing Yuno spotted as a surveillance camera, no doubt for the mastermind to get his kicks over the trial.

"Alright students of Hope's Peak Academy, welcome to the Court room, court is now in session so please take your seats." Monokuma said.

Everyone walked over to the stands, quickly finding the ones labeled with their names. Ironically enough, they followed the same order as the dormitories did in the school. He found himself next to Sayaka, with Makoto being to his right. Mikan was to Sayaka's left standing next to Touko. Chihiro stood next to her, with Hina next to her. Next to Hina stood the passive Sakura, who was eyeing everyone carefully. Next to her stood Leon, who was chewing on his lower lip, the nerves clearly written on his face. Nick stood next to him, arms crossed. He was still wearing the apron covered in batter. Next to him was the sneering Bryce, who kept glaring at Yuno, a happy grin on his face. Next to him stood Celeste, who had a mask of uncertainty written on her face. She looked around at everyone, probably trying to find the culprit within their group of people.

Next to her stood Byakuya who was also smiling proudly to himself. Next to him was a picture of Junko, with a pink X over it. It unnerved Yuno to see her picture there, and wanted to know the reason why it was even there. The stand next to the picture was empty, so he looked at the one next to it, spotting Mondo who seemed rather curious about the whole room, as he had been looking around. Taka stood next to him, standing at attention, most likely wanting to start the trial, next to him was Kyoko who had been quiet since his last meeting with him. She looked at him, giving him a passive glance. Yuno got a burst of confidence, remembering everything he had discovered during the trial.

"Alright then students, I will give you all a brief explanation of the class trial. All of you will present your evidence and help find whodunit. Once you all think you have the case solved, we will commence the vote, if the blackened is chosen, then he or she will solely be punished, but if you vote wrong, the blackened will go free and everyone else will be punished instead. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Monokuma asked.

"May I ask what this punishment is?" Taka asked, holding his hand up. Monokuma smirked, glancing at him with his red eye.

"Why, it's an execution of course."

"Execution? Are you insane?!" Leon shouted, glaring at the bear.

"Clearly you have been asleep for the past three days, moron." Bryce said.

"Keep your mouth shut, douche bag." Nick snapped, glaring at the architect.

"Oh boy, this is already filling me to the brim with despair. Alright then, feel free to start whenever you wish." the bear said, leaning back in his seat.

"Um...one last thing, why is there a picture of Junko here as well? And why is there an empty stand?" Makoto asked.

"Hmm? Oh, the picture of blondie is here because she's part of the class. Just because she's dead doesn't mean she can't be here for the trial. And the empty stand was just a building error, it means that there is enough space in this court room for eighteen people." Monokuma replied. Nodding, Makoto shook the nerves out of his system.

"How does this work? I mean do we all speak at the same time?" Yuno asked curiously.

"Of course, I like to call that the _Non-Stop Debate_...all of you will deliberate all of the information you've got at the same time. However it will be up to you to figure out whodunit!" Monokuma said cheerfully, earning a nod from the Ultimate Archer.

"Since no one is going to start this trial, I shall begin. The victim, as we all know is the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima. She was murdered at 12:30 last night in Yuno Nagahama's bed room." Byakuya said.

"Yeah, we know that already, get to the point." Mondo said, only for the Affluent Progeny to glare at him.

"Do not interrupt me hooligan. I am discussing a serious matter here."

"What the fuck did you call me rich boy?" the biker snapped.

"Please, will you two settle down. This is not welcome in a court room, please proceed." Taka said.

"As I was saying, the victim died due to severe blood loss, that much is certain. I have come to believe the culprit is none other than Yuno himself. After all she did get stabbed to death by his arrows." he said, glaring at the purple haired archer.

"I already told you it wasn't me. Why do you insist it is?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You were the one who used those arrows to kill her, the proof if right there. Once the deed was done, you broke the bow and tossed it aside." Bryce said with a smirk.

"You got that wrong!" Makoto said, pointing at Bryce who looked at him shocked. The brown haired teen cleared his throat, proceeding to speak.

"There is no evidence supporting the use of the broken bow. Besides it's clear to see that Junko was stabbed to death with the arrows, as opposed to have been shot with them." he said.

"How do you know that for sure?" Hina asked curiously.

"Well, for one the force behind the recurve bow in my room is enough to drive an arrow through skin, muscle and bone. It will be at least seven inches of penetration, at long range. If it was been used at short range, those arrows would have most likely passed through her body. The arrows were used to stab her, not shoot her." Yuno said, letting out a breath.

"Alright, so the bow wasn't used to shoot the arrows, Yuno still could have done it, after all those are his arrows." Mondo said.

"Sorry to say big guy, but Yuno didn't do it. He was with me all night in my room, I would have noticed him leave and we were both awake when this was going on." Sayaka said.

"Likely story, you could be conspiring with him." Byakuya said.

"Exactly, we don't know for sure that he stayed with you. You could be lying." Nick said.

"You got that wrong!" Yuno said, startling Nick.

"Hey man, no need to shout." he said.

"Sorry...you said that Sayaka could be lying, but we have proof that we were together last night. Celeste saw us this morning, leaving her dorm." he said, looking at the gambler, who gave a curt nod.

"Indeed, this morning before the morning announcement, Yuno and Sayaka did leave her room together. They were trying so hard not to be spotted that they actually walked past me without them seeing me." She said.

"So, we have a witness to them leaving her room in the morning, but that doesn't mean he didn't kill her during the night. After all he could have shown up to her dorm past Midnight and then hung out with her. The proof is irrefutable." Bryce said firmly.

"Shit, even with Celeste's help, they still think I'm the culprit." Yuno thought, anger and sadness flowing through him.

"I don't even know why we are having this case in the first place. It's merely a formality. The culprit is clearly Yuno, we should hold the vote already." Byakuya said.

"Don't be stupid, a wrongful vote will get us all killed." Makoto snapped.

"Besides, there's still a lot of stuff we haven't gone over...like the murder weapon, or weapons in this case." Leon said. Yuno sighed, at least he was steering this in the right direction.

"Yes, let us look at the murder weapons. In this case, it was three fiberglass arrows, which were stabbed in various places of Junko's body. Additionally, they were used to inflict the fatal injuries that caused her death." Kyoko said, finally speaking.

"The only one who has those arrows is Yuno, since he's the Ultimate Archer." Hina said.

"This is true...we looked all over his room and found several of these arrows, all around the dresser and the floor." Sakura said.

"Yes, but were you paying attention to them?" Kyoko asked.

"Of course we were? We saw a bunch of them, other than the size they all looked the same." Hina said.

"You got that wrong!" Makoto said, looking at Hina who tilted her head in confusion.

"The arrows that were on the ground next to the dresser, aside from their size lacked one important thing, something all arrows need in order to be used as a weapon. _A head_. Those arrows were missing all of their heads, and had only training tips on them." Makoto said.

"Additionally, the arrow heads that were used in this murder were attached to the shaft of the arrows with sewing thread." Kyoko added.

"Sewing thread?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"From one of the sewing kits no doubt. The girls were given sewing kits on the first day, it was on the note that was taped to our bathroom doors." Mondo said.

"Hmm...now that you mention it, I did find a spool of thread near the A/V room. It didn't have any thread on it, but the spool itself was just sitting there." Leon said. Everyone looked at him.

"Why didn't you say that before?" Byakuya asked, clearly annoyed.

"I didn't think it was important." he said.

"Anything and everything is important imbecile, even if it's something as small as that." he said.

"Hey, no need for petty insults." Hina said, earning a glare from the heir.

"So, since the arrow heads were tied to the arrows with the thread, we can assume Yuno took them with him, asked Junko for her sewing kit and then put the arrows together. After he ran out of thread he just tossed the spool and left like it was nothing." Nick said.

"Are you retarded? Why would Yuno ask the person he was going to murder for her own sewing kit? That's redundant." Leon said.

"Hey fuck you."

"Children please...stop arguing." Celeste said firmly.

"There is something that I'm clearly missing. No one could have simply asked Junko for her sewing kit, she wouldn't have easily handed it over. She may have looked like an airhead, but she was also smart...wait..there is that."

"Allow me to present this." Yuno said, pulling out his eHandbook. He clicked on one of his Truth Bullets, which depicted a flannel tee shirt laying on Junko's bed.

"A...shirt?" Hina asked.

"Yes, a flannel shirt that Junko had been sewing up. I believe that the tear in the shirt was caused intentionally, just to give Junko a reason to open her sewing kit. Being the Ultimate Fashionista, she has the most knowledge on how to fix clothes." He said.

"That makes sense, but who does the shirt belong too?" Celeste asked.

"It could be anyones really. But I strongly believe that it belongs to Bryce, since he told me personally that he loves flannel shirts." Yuno said, glancing at Bryce, who had his hand on his chin, brow raised.

"So you think the shirt is mine do you?" he asked.

"Well, you said you liked flannel shirts, so clearly it must be yours." Yuno said.

"That buddy is where you are wrong. While I do love flannel shirts, I can say that the shirt that was in Junko's room isn't mine. It looks smaller than what I normally wear, I'm a medium in shirt size, and that's clearly a large." he said.

"That doesn't stop you from owning one of a bigger size. People grow you know." Leon said.

"Shut up you. Your comments aren't needed here." the architect said.

"Okay, then if it isn't your shirt, and who does it belong too?" Makoto asked.

"It's simple. The shirt belongs to Yuno, since he needed the thread to tie those arrow heads to his arrows." Bryce said.

"Allow me to cut through those words." Byakuya said, looking at Bryce. Yuno looked at the Affluent Progeny curiously, the guy in question gave him a curious look as well.

"Worry not fool, I am coming to your aid this once. I do firmly believe it was you that killed her. However, Yuno didn't exactly need the thread to use those arrow heads, not when he has all the tools he needs, including the arrow heads inside his Repair Kit." he said.

"Repair kit?" Sayaka asked.

"He's talking about the orange bag in my closet. I keep it there in case I need to do repairs on my bows. I also have the arrow heads in there, the lock wasn't forced and it wasn't picked, so I know the heads were stolen from there. Besides, I don't have any primitive arrows like the ones used to kill Junko." he said firmly.

"There's your answer. He didn't make those arrows, he had no need to especially if he had arrow heads the whole time." Byakuya said.

"Gah...this is madness. We aren't getting anywhere." Nick snapped, clearly angry.

"No one said this would be easy." Mondo replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, we just proved that Yuno didn't make the arrows. If he had no need to make them, then it clearly wasn't him that did it. Meaning the person that did make them was definitely the person who killed Junko." Makoto said.

"Actually Makoto, I want to present something else. It's Kyoko's theory, she and I were talking earlier, and she deduced that it was actually two people who were involved in this murder. The person who made the arrows is indeed the owner of the flannel shirt, and the one who stole the thread. But the killer is someone else, however she didn't have proof of two people being involved. I just thought I would share it with everyone." Yuno said.

"Did you find any proof Kyoko?" Leon asked. Kyoko nodded.

"I believe there was a fight before this murder took place. The fighting happened in the bathhouse, and I believe the one who made the arrows was the one who was fighting the killer. Once they enticed the killer to fight, they ran off, and during the chase, the killer ended up stabbing Junko by mistake." She said.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Mondo asked.

"The blood on the hallway is enough proof." Kyoko replied.

"I agree with that!" Yuno said, startling Mondo a bit. Now that he had everyone's attention, he continued talking.

"The blood on the hallway actually lead to my dorm from the other direction, meaning that Junko was coming back from another place, the school store perhaps. Maybe during the scuffle between the killer and the one who made the arrows, she stopped possibly to see who was fighting. It was also at this time that she found the Kitty Barrette that I had dropped the day before.

She probably saw one of the culprits running her way, and she tried to hide from them, only to be spotted by the killer who mistook her for the person they were fighting. She was stabbed once but somehow managed to escape, making her way toward the dorms, most likely trying to get help." Yuno said.

"It also explains why there was blood on Yuno's door handle. The blood belonged to Junko!" Sayaka said.

"Yes, but there is another thing that doesn't make sense. How was Junko able to get into Yuno's room without his key?" Celeste asked.

"Because Yuno let her in. She rung the bell and he let her in, once he saw her in that state, he finished the job, simple as that." Nick said.

"Classmate Nick, please don't go making those kinds of assumptions in this trial. Think logically." Taka snapped.

"Um...there is a way the killer could have gotten into Yuno's room. The door was locked, but you could easily push it open, so the lock wasn't keeping the door shut." Chihiro said.

"How can that be?" Leon asked.

"The locks can't be broken or picked. Isn't that right Monokuma?" Celeste asked.

"That's right, only the lock's respective key can open those doors." Monokuma replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"That answers that, also as an impartial judge, you should do your best to remain awake." she scolded.

"Yeah sure." the bear replied.

"Hmm...the door was locked, but it could still be opened. Why is that again?"

Yuno closed his eyes, trying to think. He had most of the evidence memorized already, but there was one thing that stuck out to him.

 **P-E-P-P-E-R-M-I-N-T G-U-M**

"Of course, it can only be this!" he said, getting everyone's attention.

"When I first entered my room, I was able to push the door open too. I didn't think anything of it at first, but when I actually looked, I found that the door jamb had a large wad of Peppermint Gum stuffed inside it." he said.

"The gum would be enough to stop the door from closing it. That's how Junko was able to get into the room. This is also when she was trying to stop the bleeding, by using the bed sheets as makeshift bandages." Makoto said.

"Makes sense, I did notice that the stab wounds she got afterwards had gone through the bed sheets she had been using. She had also been stabbed in the leg, according to Mikan's autopsy, she was still alive when she tied the bandage to her leg." Yuno said.

"Alright, so she was attacked in the hallway and ran to Yuno's room, where she was clearly murdered. However, if you turn the lights off it's pitch black in there, even with the lighting from the hallway, she wouldn't have been able to easily find where the bed was." Byakuya said.

"Not necessarily. I noticed her eHandbook wasn't anywhere on her, so she must have used that as a light source. She probably tried to close the door behind her, not noticing that it wasn't going to close. It probably opened up, allowing the killer to easily find out where she was." Leon said.

"So, the whole gum thing was a set up then?" Nick said.

"Clearly it was. Yuno probably put it in the door jamb and used the darkness to his advantage." Bryce said.

"Did you have a jackass sandwich for lunch? That was literally the stupidest shit I have ever heard anyone said." Yuno said firmly, his comment making a few of his peers laugh.

"Like you have a better theory."

"I do you dumbass, I don't know why you have such a hard on about me being the culprit in this murder. I will tell you this however, I am not the one who fucking killed her. Even if it was me, how the fuck would I know where she was in the dark? She could have not used her eHandbook. Ever think of that moron?" he snapped angrily.

"Besides, he wasn't even the one who chewed the gum in the first place. Why would he even do that? What would be the point? What are the odds of it actually serving a purpose other than his own demise?" Celeste asked curiously. Bryce scoffed, looking away from her.

"Okay, now to get this trial back on track. The person who shoved the gum in the door jamb was clearly the same one who stole the arrows. I can also prove it, the quiver that was full of arrows was actually torn. I thought it was intentional at first but I remembered that it got hooked to the drawer.

The person who stole the arrows only took the ones in the quiver because he didn't see the others on the dresser. The reason why that is is because they didn't bother to turn the lights on. They saw the orange fletchlings from the arrows with the light from the hallway and reached for them, tearing the quiver. That also explains why only four arrows were made." Yuno said.

"Yes, but how did the person get into your room without your key?" Chihiro asked.

"That actually is my fault." Sayaka said.

Everyone looked at her curiously. She sighed, taking a shaky breath, making Yuno look at her, worry etched on his face. She gave him a smile, and looked back at her peers.

"Yesterday, I...was planning on killing someone." she said.

The effect was instantaneous. Everyone started muttering things to themselves, while others started out right insulting her. Taka finally rose his hand, making everyone go silent.

"Please continue Classmate Sayaka."

"Thank you. I stole a knife from the kitchen, with a plan to kill someone that same night. However, I started thinking about it and I realized what a vile person I was, thinking about murdering someone. I wanted to talk to Makoto, but he wasn't in his room. I decided to talk to Yuno instead. He was able to talk me out of it, even if it wasn't directly. After I told him about it, we left for the kitchen to return it, and I was the one who closed the door. I don't remember locking it." She said.

"She's telling the truth. Me and Hina were in the kitchen drinking tea when they showed up to return the knife." Sakura said.

"Jeez, this is getting more and more confusing. Now idol girl is a murderer?" Nick said.

"Nick, please think before you speak. Sayaka isn't the murderer this time, clearly she was feeling guilt over her future crime. Do keep those comments to yourself in the future." Celeste said, giving him a sickly sweet smile. He shivered a bit, not wanting to anger her.

"So if Sayaka didn't lock Yuno's door, then that means it was during this time that the person was able to place the gum in the door jamb. This was done, possibly to lure the victim into the room, where they would strike in the dark. I believe the reason why the quiver was torn, was probably because Yuno came back faster than the thief wanted. Upon hearing him, they pulled on the quiver, tearing it as they did so. It is possible that they already had the thread by this point." Kyoko said.

"Also, if Yuno had truly killed Junko, then he would have most likely smeared himself with blood at some point, especially stabbing her in the chest with those arrows." Makoto said.

"He could have washed it off." Bryce said.

"You got that wrong! The water gets shut off at 10PM on the dot, meaning the killer couldn't have washed themselves off until the morning. I made that mistake last night when I wanted to take a shower in Saya's room, and realized that there was no water flowing. In fact, my clothes are still in her bathroom." he said confidently.

"So, this practically proves that Yuno isn't the killer. Celeste, Mikan and I met up with them in the morning and I saw no traces of blood on his clothes. I doubt he would have changed into night clothes just to come to breakfast. He would have still needed to wash them afterwards." Taka said, giving Yuno a smile. The purple haired teen sighed, giving him a thankful nod.

"Ugh...this is getting us nowhere. Monokuma, can we please take a recess? I really need to use the bathroom." Nick said.

"No recess, recess is for children." Monokuma replied with a laugh.

"Actually, I believe that it will benefit all of us. A lot of things have been talked about during this case, and it would help all of us if we take everything and put it in order before we continue." Kyoko said.

"Goddamn it... _fine_. All of you get a ten minute recess, if you need to piss make it quick." Monokuma said, slamming his gavel down on his arm rest, signaling the start of recess. Nick raced toward the lift, gritting his teeth almost in pain.

Yuno stepped away from his stand, choosing to sit back against the wall. He ran his fingers through his hair, thinking about everything that had been talked about. He had already been working on piecing everything together. He was sure now that there was a fight, since he had heard that thud when he went to Sayaka's bedroom the night before. Junko could have very well been attacked then, and she probably hid for some time, until she was inevitably found, only to be killed in his room.

The arrows were made during the time he was absent from his room, the torn quiver proved that, but there was still a lot of things that hadn't been discussed. At least he was glad to be away from the culprit's light, at least for now.

"How are you doing?" Sayaka asked, taking a seat next to him. He leaned back against the wall, looking at the ceiling far above them.

"Honestly, I'm tired as fuck. I don't know how long we were debating over there, but everything we talked about...it just reminds me of how Junko was found, laying in her own blood. I can't take it...every time I close my eyes, I see her laying there. I want to see her smiling face but all I see is her lifeless body on my bedroom floor." he said, slamming his fist against the ground.

A few people looked at him, a bit saddened by the entire thing. Most felt bad about accusing him, while others were relishing in his despair. Sayaka took a hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze. He looked at her, seeing that adorable smile of hers.

"Don't worry. We're going to find the real culprit, we are already on the right path. You aren't the prime suspect anymore, so at least be happy about that." she said.

"Trust me, I am. I just want to put this thing to bed already." he said, closing his eyes.

His eyes snapped open when he felt Sayaka lay her head on his shoulder. His face slowly started to heat up. He looked up, seeing Makoto still by his stand. He gave him a grin and a thumbs up, a that goofy smile embarrassing him even more. Leon kept wiggling his brows at him, while Celeste hid a giggle behind her hand. Mikan seemed a little disappointed, but she gave him a heartwarming smile.

"Man, I got myself an interesting group of friends...they've been a great help already...I'll use their hope to fuel my own, I will found out who did this."

 _ **(Class Trial Recess)**_


	5. Chapter 1 Act 4: Academy of Despair

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the final act of Chapter 1. Honestly, I wasn't going to post this today, because I realized, It would be better for all of you to wait a long time, so you could all feel the despair of having to figure out who the killer was. Mistress Junko would love that a lot. Afterwards though, I realized that i was being stupid, and I'm also slowly slipping into madness...but that is besides the point! It's Friday, and Danganronpa 3 Future Side Airs soon, so I figured why not post the end of Chapter 1 now?**

 **That being said, Chapter 2 will actually have more acts, so far I have 4 in the works, and this series is testing my sanity quite a lot. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter.**

 **Also, I decided to post the names of the 79th class of Hope's Peak Academy. As stated in the last update, they are in fact Yuno's class, and the students that are currently missing. I will say now, that there will be some cameos from them or mentions, as some of them are very important.**

 **(Update 7/21/16 3:16AM) I have changed Lucy Yamada's name to Tsubaki, as I felt it fit better with her overall look and theme. I also decided to make her the Ultimate Fanfiction Shipper, to follow in her older siblings footsteps. I might tweak a few of the other ultimate's in the future, but as of now she is the only one I have edited. Her official debut will be in chapter 3 act 3, so I hope you all like her when I post that chapter)**

 **Yunosuke Nagahama- Ultimate Archer**

 **Ricardo Vasquez- Ultimate Ventriloquist**

 **Takeshi Komuro- Ultimate Zombie Enthusiast**

 **Ezekiel Morales- Ultimate Doomsday Prepper**

 **Kazuto Itachi- Ultimate Retro Game Collector**

 **Akihiko Shouji- Ultimate Surgeon**

 **Otonashi Tanaka- Ultimate Veterinarian  
**

 **Bryce Kotenok- Ultimate Architect**

 **Ashton Nevermind- Ultimate Prince**

 **Misa Nishimori- Ultimate Animal Whisperer**

 **Musashi Togami- Ultimate Accountant**

 **Natsumi Kuzuryuu- Ultimate Little Sister**

 **Asuka Nishimuraya- Ultimate Librarian  
**

 **Marie Rose Asta- Ultimate Servant**

 **Kanade Izayoi- Ultimat Tabloid Reporter**

 **Tsubaki Yamada- Ultimate Fanfiction Shipper  
**

 **Kurumi Noire- Ultimate Beta Tester**

 **Vanessa La Rouse- Ultimate Lucky Student  
**

 **Sylvia Amane- Ultimate Mathematician**

 **Erika Del Rio- Ultimate Fashion Designer**

 **Well, that's the 79th class. Some of them are really unoriginal but meh, that's my choice and I'll stick to it. Although, I do like some of the characters a lot, like Tanaka's little brother, and Sonia's little brother. It makes me wonder what kind of bonds they could have had before all of this, but that's a story for another time.**

 **Remember to drop a review if you like it, or to call me a dick head if you don't, doesn't matter to me.**

 **Update: As of 6/26/17 Chapter 1 Act 4 has been updated...aside from some minor grammar fixes, nothing has changed...I have also added Sylvia Amane and Bryce Kotenok to the Class 79 roster on this chapter, just so everyone knows they're in the same class...I have also added Erika Del Rio as well.**

 **For the Closing Arguments, from now on I will be sure to have Monokuma say it...I understand they are kinda long, since in the game you solve them in a comic style, and transferring that to writing is a bit challenging. I also decided not to do the Panic Talk Action...it was a bit hard to work it into the story, same with the Non-Stop Debate, I mean I did my best with the trials and honestly I find them perfect...but It is a bit hard to translate it perfectly and make it flow smoothly. I still haven't even figured out who I am going to make the Rebuttal Showdown work in the sequel to this story...oh well, that will happen when the time comes...**

 **So for now, I hope you like this...I would suggest not reading anything beyond this point since I will be working on Chapter 2 for the next few days...there are a lot of grammar errors in chapter 2 that I need to get rid off, and I plan on adding a few extra things in there...to make everything work better, like maybe expand a bit on Sayaka and Yuno's relationship, as well as the one between Makoto and Mikan...anyway, I hope you all like this re edit of Chapter 1, see ya!**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 1

Act 4

Academy of Despair _**(Deadly Life)**_

 _ **(Class Trial in Session: All Rise)**_

"Alright kiddies, recess is over. I hope you all did what you wanted to do and went to the bathroom if you needed it. If you didn't, oh well. You are going to hold it, unless you want to piss yourselves, that would be despairingly delicious." Monokuma said, banging his gavel against his arm rest. Everyone returned to their stands, fully prepared to continue the trial.

"Okay, now that the trial is back in session, let us direct the topic to Junko Enoshima herself. When I examined her body, I not only found the stab wounds on her abdomen, but I also saw the injury she had taken to the head. It was also rather peculiar to see that her legs had been tied with the bow string." Byakuya said.

"I also noticed this, and I believe that the reason why was to restrain her." Sayaka said.

"The hell is the point of stopping her from moving if she's dead?" Mondo asked.

"She wasn't dead though. The killer used the bow to knock her unconscious. The killer was most likely too busy trying to make a scene, and that's when she woke up. They probably thought the stab wounds would have been enough, so they underestimated her. When she grabbed the piece of cloth to bandage her leg, the killer took notice and knocked her out with the bow." Yuno said.

"How can you be so sure of that? The bow was clearly broken when it was used against Junko." Mondo said.

"You got that wrong!" Makoto said, pulling out his eHandbook.

"You guys, the bow wasn't broken before Junko woke up. There was something that I had been curious about, the training dummy in the back of the room, it had Yuno's DVD pinned to it. I don't know about you, but that dummy was pretty durable, so someone stabbing the arrow through the disk with enough force to pin it to the dummy is a little far fetched. The killer used the bow to shoot the disk, the force of the arrow fired from the bow was enough to keep both in place. It also explains why the training dummy was tipped back when we walked into the room." Makoto said.

"That would make sense if the dummy had been lying down, if it had been upright, then the disk wouldn't have stayed in place. How can you shoot something if it isn't attached to something else?" Bryce asked.

"That is a good point...unless..the killer used something to hold the disk in place. Anything would do really." Yuno said.

"Like a wad of gum perhaps?" Hina said, a smile on her face.

"Yes, a wad of gum would have been sticky enough to hold it in place, at least for a few precious seconds. The recurve bow isn't hard to use, it's actually one of the bows that people usually start training with, due to how it easy it is to use. People normally start out with bows that have a 40 pound draw weight, so with practice anyone could have used it." Yuno said.

"But the million dollar question here is this, would 40 pounds of force be enough to drive that arrow through the case and the dummy?" Celeste asked, glancing at the archer.

"Most definitely! If you do it from up close then yes, it's enough."

"Then there's the answer. The killer probably tipped the dummy over to throw off suspicion. It also makes sense for them to be up close to it. Where they would have been standing, would have been the ideal spot to hit Junko. She had a head injury, the snap of the string could have woken her up, causing the killer to turn around and bash her in the head with it." Byakuya said.

"My autopsy also states that this was most likely when the killer stabbed the arrows into h-her arms and leg. Blood pooled around those limbs, meaning there was blood flow." Mikan quietly added.

"How cruel, the girl wasn't even dead and they caused her even more pain." Sakura said, clearly displeased by the new revelation.

"This is also the time where the killer left the scene of the crime. There was one thing I was trying to fit into all this, the broken bow. One of the screws on the risers seemed to be stripped. I noticed the bloody foot print leading out of Yuno's room, unmistakably left by the killer." Kyoko said.

"So, they left the scene of the crime? What's the reasoning?" Leon asked.

"To get their tool kit of course. The screw that attached the riser to the main part of the bow grip was stripped, meaning the killer had used the screw driver from their tool kit in order to attempt to take it apart. When they couldn't do that, they resorted to breaking it on the ground, leaving the scuff marks me and Sayaka saw near the entrance to the bed room." Yuno stated.

"They were probably trying to get the bow string off the bow, so they could tie up Junko's legs, in case she was still some how alive, she wouldn't have the strength to untie herself, and if she did, she wouldn't have been able to get up to open the door. She would have probably lose the feeling in her legs from the tightness of the string anyway." Sayaka added.

"The killer was pretty stupid, I mean they were in a guys room, so they could have used Yuno's kit, if they truly wanted to pin it on him of course." Celeste said, a sneer on her face.

"So, that takes care of the broken bow and the bloody footprint, anything else were missing?" Nick asked.

"Yes, we still don't know who the damn culprit is. Why don't you hurry and fess up already? You surely enjoyed yourself enough." Mondo snapped, pounding his fist against his stand.

"There is one other thing, when I went to investigate Junko's bed room. I noticed a broken perfume bottle on the ground. This had been a gift to her from Yuno, who had won three from the MonoMono machine. I went back to his room, to see where the other two were, but I noticed one of them was missing. I also found broken bits of glass stuffed under the dresser. The liquid itself had been wiped clean, but the smell still lingered in the area. Care to explain that Yuno?" Kyoko asked, glancing at the purple haired Archer.

"I don't know about that. I had two bottles left of that stuff, but I don't remember breaking one. Hell, I think you would have noticed if one was broken or missing, that smell is unbearable. I would have most likely gotten it all over myself trying to clean it up." He admitted.

"That is true, and I can tell he doesn't smell like that perfume. He was right about it being unbearable, I don't know how some people can stomach that stuff." Makoto said.

"You w-wouldn't know because you are a guy." Touko said, glaring at him.

"Hmph, you don't know what perfume is either, since you clearly don't use any." Byakuya said sarcastically. The Writing Prodigy eeped a bit, looking down at the ground, muttering things to herself.

"I don't know what the fuss is about, I myself find it quite lovely." Celeste said, giving everyone her signature smile. Everyone got chills down their spines.

"Well, that bottle was clearly broken, and it wasn't broken on the floor. It was still on the shelf when it was broken. The cause of it was a misfired arrow." Kyoko said.

"How do you figure?" Hina asked.

"No one gets the target on their first try." Yuno said. Sayaka leered at him, eyes narrowed. He chuckled and rubbed his neck.

"Well, most people miss the target on their first shot. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that the killer missed the first shot. That's probably why they moved up in the first place, to not miss again." he continued.

"And the perfume?" Bryce asked.

"Wiped clean by the killer, most likely. It was probably done with their shirt or something." Kyoko said.

"That's right, I didn't find a single trace of liquid anywhere, but the smell was quite strong when I was in the back of the room. In fact, I thought it was Celeste that was wearing it." Yuno said.

"I didn't try getting anything else from the machine. I was too entranced with the doll I had won." she said.

"This also brings up another topic, the arrow heads themselves. They were primitive arrow heads, or at least they were cut out of stone. The arrow heads that I have are made with sharp razors, and are of course locked in my repair kit. However, Leon told me that the arrow heads used to kill Junko were actually MonoMono machine prizes." the purple haired archer said, looking to Leon for help. He nodded, looking around at everyone.

"That's right. Those arrow heads were one of the prizes from the arcade machine, in fact, it was Bryce who won the first one. I didn't even know it had that kind of thing inside it until he did." the orange haired baseball player said.

The students all looked at the architect now, who was mildly entertained by the whole thing. Rather than deny it like Yuno thought he would, the teen gave a nod, shoving his hand in his pocket.

"Yup, the Ginger is right, I did win the arrow head."

"Hey, that's not cool man." Leon said, clearly annoyed by the insult. Bryce waved it off, pulling a capsule from his pocket. Yuno recognized it as the one he had knocked out of the teens hand earlier in the day. He popped it open, pulling out an arrow head identical to the ones used in the murder.

"See? This is clearly the same kind that was used to kill Junko." he said.

"So, they used arcade machine prizes as tools of war. That makes a lot of sense actually. Anyone could have won those." Nick said sadly.

"Pfft, of course anyone could have won those. Besides, it must have taken them a lot of _white thread_ to tie them to the arrow shaft." Bryce said with a shrug. Yuno's eyes widened, and he looked at Bryce.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"Hmm? Are you so incompetent that I must repeat myself?" he asked.

"It was _rhetorical_ you dumbshit. Did anyone see Bryce investigating the murder scene today?" he asked.

"I stood guard outside the room all day, and I didn't see him enter, why?" Mondo said. Yuno looked at Bryce, seething with anger. He gripped the stand before him so hard his knuckles turned white.

"How did you know the thread used to make the arrows was _**white**_?" the teen asked. Bryce stiffened a bit, but played it off as nothing, he regained his arrogant look, giving a shrug.

"I merely assumed it was white. It is a common color." he said.

"It may be a common color, but I don't recall any of the guys ever seeing the sewing kits the girls were given. I know for a fact that they contained white thread, because Sayaka tore her shirt with the knife she had stolen, and I sewed it up for her with white thread. I saw it personally, but how the fuck could you have guessed that was one of the colors unless you saw one?" He asked.

"Like I said, it was just an assumption." Bryce said.

"I don't think so. The reason why you know that is because you were the one who stole the white thread. Which means that flannel shirt she was sewing up was for you. If you just handed her the shirt, she would have most likely sewed it up and gave it to you at a later time, but she most likely invited you in to her room, giving you the chance to swipe it without her knowing. The perfume bottle was the perfect distraction, how it broke was beyond me but it was clearly used for that." Kyoko said.

"Bryce...were you the one that made those arrows?" Yuno asked quietly.

The entire room remained silent, waiting for the teenager's response. Yuno's shoulders started shaking, fresh tears falling down his face. He rapidly wiped them with his shirt.

"Answer me!" he shouted in anger, earning a laugh from Bryce.

"I did. I was in fact the one who gave that shirt to Junko so I could get access to her sewing kit. I was also the one who stuffed the gum into your door jamb." he said.

"You fucking piece of shit." Hina shouted.

The teen cringed at her sudden use of profanity. It seemed everyone had developed a mutual hatred toward the architect. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Useless, all of you. I made the arrows yes, but I wasn't the one who killed Junko Enoshima, the cause of that lies elsewhere." he said.

"So, you had an accomplice?" Kyoko asked.

"Only the blackened can leave the academy. What would an accomplice get out of it? He didn't commit the crime." Leon said.

"Maybe they didn't know about that at the time." Chihiro said, a pensive look on her face.

"Even still, I'm sure they would have asked Monokuma at some point." Yuno added.

"Monokuma...was there an accomplice in this murder?" Makoto asked. The bear perked up, a grin on its features.

"Why yes Mr. Naegi, the murderer did in fact have an accomplice, and before you ask, Leon is right, accomplices get nothing out of helping commit a murder, only the murderer themselves can leave the academy." the bear replied, after getting that confirmation out of the way, the returned to the next phase of the trial.

"Okay, so now that the origin of the arrows has been confirmed, we can assume that the killer was the one who tried to stop Junko's bleeding. Probably because it was an accidental stabbing, we can also assume that the killer was probably going after Bryce, leading to the mix up between the two." Kyoko said.

"How do you know the killer tried to stop the bleeding? Didn't Mikan say that the last two wounds were inflicted after she had died?" Chihiro asked.

"Actually no. Those two wounds were caused after she had been bandaged up. The killer didn't bandage her up at all, she bandaged herself up, evident from the strip of bed sheet used to stop the bleeding in her leg." Yuno said.

"What about the broken arrows near the closet?" Nick asked.

"What about them?" Byakuya asked.

"Those are irrelevant. The killer was probably trying to look for something to use and walked around the bed, stepping on the arrows. They probably left the scene of the crime to get something to use to wipe the perfume. Junko was probably still unconscious by this point, and she wouldn't be able to wake up due to her injuries. This was also the time that person used her blood to make the arrow on the DVD case." Makoto said.

"But who was it that did that?" Sayaka said asked curiously.

"It was obviously the accomplice. Once the deed was done, they went back to mess up the crime scene, making it look like Yuno did it." Mondo said.

"I agree with that. The person who was responsible for luring the killer was the one who messed up the scene, meaning he wasn't exactly an accomplice. I bet that was you right Bryce?" Yuno asked.

"Why do you say it was me?" he asked.

"You made the arrows right? You also probably were the one who shot the arrow into the dummy and knocked Junko unconscious for the final time." he said.

"Hmm, that would be true, if it had been me. You see, even if I didn't stab her, I knocked her out, meaning I would be the killer. I don't get blood on my hands, I let other people do that for themselves. Yes, I made the arrows, but I didn't fire them into the dummy." Bryce replied, a smirk on his face.

"Well, that explains that. The only thing I can think of is the blood stained clothes, surely someone would have seen another person covered in someone elses blood." Leon said.

"There's also the fight that Kyoko mentioned. There was a scuffle in the bathhouse, and I agree with her that it was a fight, since I did hear a thud coming from that direction a few minutes after curfew." Yuno said.

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Sayaka asked, earning a frown from Yuno.

"Sorry, I remembered it just a few minutes ago." he said.

"So, you heard the fight?" Kyoko asked. He shook his head.

"Not the fight, just a thud, a really loud thud. I didn't think much of it, but I bet it was also the thud that made Junko want to check it out. God, if only I would have gone too, maybe she'd be alive." he said.

"No use fretting over it now. It's all in the past, just focus on the present... _idiot._ " Byakuya said.

"Man, if you were able to hear it, it must have been loud. I didn't hear a thing from my room, and surely I would have heard the sound of something being slammed into the lockers." Mondo said.

"I never mentioned where the fight took place, nor did I mention it was in the locker area." Kyoko said, looking at Mondo.

"Uh...well it was just something that came to mind is all." he said, suddenly growing nervous.

"Something that came to mind?" Taka asked curiously.

"Yeah dude, something wrong with that? I just thought if there was a fight in the bathhouse and there was a loud thud, then someone must have been slammed into the lockers." He said.

"The lockers didn't show any marks at all. Surely someone being slammed into them would have cracked or even broken the wooden doors don't you think?" Kyoko said.

"Dude...you fucked the pooch." Bryce said, shaking his head.

"Shut up asshole." the biker shouted.

" _Could that have been an assumption or..."_ Yuno stopped mid thought. Remembering when he had walked out of his room. Mondo seemed unnaturally on edge, even for someone being murdered.

He understood why he would be on edge, but that wasn't the only thing. He also caught the scent of perfume off of him, specifically his jacket. He did notice the jacket he was wearing seemed to have been recently washed, but the smell still lingered on it. Why would it smell like perfume? The only explanation was that he was the one who wiped the spilled perfume, with his jacket of all things.

"It's all coming together now. The person who broke the perfume bottle was Mondo. It would explain the broken arrows, in his haste to find something to clean it up, he stepped over the arrows on the floor, snapping them all. Since he couldn't find anything to use, he resorted on wiping it up with his jacket." he said.

"His jacket does faintly smell like perfume." Taka said, taking a whiff of the jacket.

"Get away from me weirdo." he snapped, pushing Taka away from him.

"The way you just reacted, the smell on your jacket, the broken bow and arrows, and the foot print in the hallway...it all points to you Mondo." Yuno said, looking at the biker, his face showing nothing but anger and sadness.

"How can you accuse him of doing something like that? Mondo acts tough sure, but he couldn't kill anyone." Taka said suddenly, coming to the defense of his classmate.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Biker boy was actually responsible for killing someone in the past, his older brother and the leader of the biggest biker gang in Japan." Bryce said.

"What?"

"Bastard." Mondo shouted, slamming his fist onto his stand, startling everyone. He looked up, face contorted into nothing but rage.

"Why would you remind me of something like that?" he shouted.

"You shouldn't talk to yourself when your alone. People tend to say some very interesting things, it's why you were so easy to manipulate. You are nothing but a piece of shit, a worthless piece of shit that got his own brother killed."

"That's enough Bryce. Cut the shit out already for fucksakes." Nick shouted, about to punch the architect.

"Manipulated? So...you really did do it Mondo? You killed Junko?" Yuno asked quietly.

"Well Mondo, answer the boy, we're all waiting." the architect said with a grin. After several seconds of quiet, Mondo gave a firm nod.

"Yeah, it was me."

Yuno was taken aback. He wasn't sure how to react, sure the biker seemed tough on the exterior, but he didn't expect him to actually be a murderer.

"You admit it, just like that?" Sayaka asked.

"A real man admits his mistakes. I killed Junko, but it was an accident...I thought I had stabbed that bastard architect. I just wanted to be alone, being stuck here was driving me nuts. When I saw that video, the one that showed my brother Daiya's death, the death that I caused, and all of the motorcycles belonging to my friends, I just couldn't take it. I was talking myself down, and that's when Bryce walked in, and started taunting me.

We got into that fight, and I shoved him into the locker, and he tried to stab me with one of those arrows. I was able to pull the quiver out of his hand, and arm myself with one too. But I lost him in the dark, I saw a figure near me and I walked up behind them, and stabbed them in the chest. I didn't know it was Junko, I swear it didn't. They stumbled into the room, and I finished the job in the dark, when I turned on the light and saw her I...I just...I didn't."

"Well then, it seems we have a confession. But is it true or not? It's time for the _**Closing Argument**_." Monokuma said cheerfully, clapping his paws.

Yuno closed his eyes, thinking hard about everything that had been discussed, piecing everything together until it made sense, once he thought he had it, he decided to share it with everyone.

"Alright then, here is how it all went down. It all started with the motives Monokuma had given us the day before, which showed all of our family members and loved ones. This was what drove us all into thinking about murder, evident by Sayaka's almost attempt which luckily I managed to stop. The plan began yesterday afternoon after we used the MonoMono machine.

Bryce was able to get one of the arrow heads from the machine, and had already started forming a plan in his mind about how to get a murder to happen. He most likely left the school store to plan out everything in detail.

He came back when no one was around, and played the machine until he was able to get more arrow heads. Once he had them in his possession, he began the actual plan. He wanted to frame someone for this, but he needed to find the suitable person, and that person of course happened to be me, as he and I didn't get along at all. He was probably trying to get revenge on me for what happened between us on day one. He noticed me and Sayaka leave before the Nighttime announcement, and probably moved to see if he could get access to my room, and unfortunately, he did. Since it was dark in my room, he wasn't able to look around, so he left the door open.

He took this time to chew up the wad of gum and stuff it in the door jamb, possibly to come back later when I was asleep so he could finish me off. He saw the bright orange fletchlings inside my quiver, which prompted them to grab them. However when he heard me and Sayaka, he panicked and pulled the quiver, tearing it in the process. He closed the door afterwards, and ran off before either of us could see him.

In the other hallway, Bryce was probably trying to put the arrow heads onto the arrows, but realized that it wasn't possible for him to do it since modern arrows use screw in arrow heads.

He waited until the nighttime announcement, and for me and Sayaka to enter her room, before coming back to his own for that flannel shirt. He probably used an arrow head to make the hole in the shirt, and used that to tear it, probably to get some string. Since he wasn't able to, he resorted to using the sewing kits the girls were given, sadly he wasn't a girl so he had to find one that would be able to let him use hers.

That victim was of course Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista. Since she knew about clothing, she most likely knew how to sew, making her a prime target for Bryce.

He went to her room, and probably pleaded her to fix his shirt. Junko, most likely agreed and invited him in so they could talk. When Junko started sewing Bryce's shirt, he took the chance to knock the perfume bottle onto the floor, causing Junko to run over to it, most likely to pick it up and see if it was damaged. This gave him enough time to swipe the thread. Now that he had successfully acquired what he needed, he apologized for breaking the bottle and left the room.

Bryce probably went to the first floor near the A/V room to make the arrows, since no one would be there. When he was done, he tossed the spool of thread aside and started making his way back toward the dorms, arrows in hand. As he passed by, he heard Mondo in the bathhouse, talking to himself about his brother.

This made Bryce get a change of plans. This was probably where he would walk in, and try to kill Mondo while was distracted, hoping to pin it on me afterward. Mondo however reacted quicker, prompting him to stand up. Bryce probably decided to insult Mondo and his dead brother, causing the fight which made the thud me and Junko heard. It was also during this time that Junko probably left her room, due to the perfume being so potent. She must have headed to the school store for a snack or something. She probably found one of the Kitty Barrettes I had dropped on the floor, and wanted to return it. It was when she was coming back to the dorms that she heard the thud.

Growing curious she approached it, only to see the fight. When she did, she decided to hide in the darkness of the dimmed hallway. Bryce ran past her, and Mondo grabbed her by the neck, plunging the arrow into her chest. She probably got away from Mondo using the darkness to her advantage.

Now injured, Junko needed to find a place to hide until the killer lost her trail. Sadly, she didn't realize the blood dripping on the floor. She probably lost some much blood she gripped the nearest thing, that being my bed room door. When she leaned on it, she found out that it was open, and she quickly made her way inside. Since she couldn't see, she most likely used her eHandbook to look around. This is also when she grabbed the bed sheet and used it as a bandage.

Bryce had most likely seen this and had lead Mondo back toward the dorms, making sure the door was open so that Mondo had no choice but to search inside. Junko probably grew startled and shut off her handbook, only to be pinned to the ground and stabbed by Mondo. When she stopped moving, he quickly stood up, flicking the lights on. To his horror, he found Junko on the floor, rapidly losing blood. He most likely thought he had killed her. He looked around, and decided to set up a crime scene, making it look like I did it.

Bryce took this chance to walk into the room, catching him in the act. This probably scared Mondo, and knowing that Bryce would most likely talk asked him to keep quiet about it. He most likely decided to keep it quiet, probably for convenience. It was Bryce that hit the perfume bottle with the arrow and spilled it all over the place in his attempt to shoot my DVD.

Panicking even more, Mondo looked for something to clean it up, stepping on the arrows and breaking them. Bryce probably told him to use his jacket and toss the shards of the bottle away. Since had failed to hit his target, probably because he couldn't draw the arrow back, he forced Mondo to do it. As to not miss, Mondo stood in front of it and fired the arrow.

Junko, probably woke up around this point, and that's when Mondo hit her with the bow, probably scared. He probably left the room in a panic after that, leaving the bloody foot print. Bryce was the one who grabbed the bow off the ground, and used his Tool kit to try and take it apart. When he was unable to, he resorted to smashing it on to the floor. Once the string was off, he tied Junko's legs, so she couldn't move, even though she was most likely dead at this time.

The final thing that Bryce did, to try and pin the whole thing on me was draw the arrow in Junko's blood on my DVD. She still had the pink Kitty Barrette in her hand when she died, most likely still trying to bring it back to me. Once he knew she was dead, Bryce then decided to further throw the murder in my direction, stabbing the last three arrows into her body. He probably waited until morning and burned the bloodied clothes in the incinerator, while Mondo washed his jacket, though he wasn't able to fully get the scent of perfume off of it in time. Even though the two of them were involved, the killer is Mondo Oowada." Yuno said, glancing at the biker. He finally took a breath, wiping the sweat that had formed on his brow.

"So?" Byakuya asked.

"That's about right. There were a few details here and there, but mostly it was all correct, down to me washing the jacket during the morning. I however didn't know that you stabbed those arrows through her body. You sick fuck." He said, glancing at Bryce.

"Hey, I saw my chance and I took it. I felt the need to give the airhead fashionista a fashionable crime scene." he said.

Nick reeled his fist back, slamming it into Bryce's jaw, sending the teen to the ground. He kicked him in the ribs as hard as he could, before grabbing by his shirt, pulling his fist back. He felt someone grab his shoulder, and saw that it was Celeste. The Gambler shook her head, forcing him to drop the architect to the ground. He wiped the blood from his lip, still grinning.

"You hit like a pussy." he said.

"Stop enticing him goddamn it. You're fucked up...how can you manipulate someone like that? How could you plan the murder of one of your friends?" Sayaka asked.

"You shouldn't talk you stupid bitch, you're the one who admit a few minutes ago to planning murder. Besides, Yuno isn't my friend. Honestly, I wish he were dead, he's a useless person in this useless academy. He was as useless as that blonde bitch. Honestly, he was my target from the beginning, but the bitch got in the way and she paid for it with her life. If biker boy paid more attention, he would have noticed the body shape was different, but nope, he just stabbed all willy nilly. He was the one who killed her not me." he replied, nose held high. He had a proud look on his face, as if he had just won a competition or something.

"Well then, now that the murder has finally been solved, It's voting time. Please pull the levers in front of you to vote for the culprit." Monokuma said.

Levers appeared in all of the stands, and everyone looked at them closely. They all shared a look, knowing full well that they were condemning someone to death by pulling it. Regardless, the pulled them anyway, casing their votes. A slot machine of sorts appeared in the center of all the stands, the faces of every student spun around them, until they finally settled on Mondo's face. Whistling could be heard, as two bouquets of flowers appeared beside them.

"Ding ding ding, that's right. Junko Enoshima's killer is none other than the Ultimate Biker, Mondo Oowada."

 _ **(Class Trial Over: All Rise)**_

Yuno stepped away from his stand, shaking a bit at what he had done. He knew Mondo was responsible for killing Junko, but he was also responsible for sentencing a fellow student to death. Everyone shared the same looks, most likely thinking the same thing.

"Why...why did it have to be this way...no one needed to die." Hina said, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"No one needed to die yes, but for some, the motive proved to strong." Byakuya stated.

"It wasn't even his fault. He killed her on accident, kill Bryce instead, that fucker planned it all." Nick said.

"Yeah little bear dude, can't you kill Bryce instead?" Leon asked asked, earning a head shake from the bear.

"Sorry _dude_. But Bryce didn't kill anyone, sure planning murder falls into a bit of a gray area, but he wasn't the one who killed her in the end, Mondo did, and only he will pay the price. After all, you voted for him to be executed." Monokuma said joyfully.

"But he doesn't even deserve to die, it was an accident." Yuno snapped. Mondo shook his head.

"It's alright man. Even if it was an accident, I could have stopped, I could have helped Junko even after I had stabbed her three times. She woke up and all I did was hit her again. I had so many chances to help her but I didn't, that's why I deserve to die as well. Just promise me one thing ."

"S-sure." Yuno said, trying to hold back his tears. Mondo held his fist out, a smile on his face.

"Lead them out of here. You solved this murder, you were able to piece it together, you'll get them out of here. Take your friends to daylight." he said. Yuno nodded, bumping his fist with his own.

"Okay...I promise I'll get us all out of here." he said.

"Yuck, enough sappy moments. Mondo Oowada, I've prepared a nice punishment for you. Alright, Iiiiiiiiiittttt's punishment time." Monokuma called out, pulling out his gavel. He slammed it onto a red button, which had a small screen display on it.

" _ **Mondo Oowada has been found Guilty...Preparing Execution."**_

Monokuma had lead the biker into a darkened room and pushed him onto a motorcycle. He felt around, finding it weird that he had suddenly found himself on one. The lights turned on, and he saw that he was actually on top of a ramp. Below him was a deadly obstacle course, a single path leading all through them. It had swinging axes, a spike pit, flame throwers and a jump over an acid pit. Monokuma came down onto his shoulders, tying a cloth around his eyes, followed by tying his hands to the handle bars of the bike.

 **Biker's Heaven**

The Motorcycle roared to life and speed off, as Mondo struggled to keep it straight. The first obstacle was the swinging axes, which he was somehow able to clear rather easily. He took a sharp turn, going over the spike pit. Monokuma, impressed by Mondo, hopped up to the flamethrowers, igniting them. Mondo ducked, as the flamethrowers ignited, lighting a strand of his pompadour on fire. Feeling the heat on his head, Mondo lost control when he was over the acid pit, taking a tumble into it, he let out an agonizing scream as his skin literally melted off his body. He tried getting out, but he was still tied to the motorcycle. He let out a final scream, just as the acid melted the flesh of his face, showing nothing but his skull. Mondo fell back into the acid pit, and was quickly dissolved.

Yuno and the others watched horrified as this all took place. Screams filled his ears, as him and all of his peers had to witness the death of one of their friends. Even Byakuya and Celeste couldn't help but grimace at what they had seen. Kyoko seemed to be shaking a bit, though she was trying to hide it. Even Bryce who had been an asshole through the entire trial, couldn't help but watch with rapt attention, horror written on his face. Sayaka clung onto Yuno's arm, hugging him as tightly as she could, crying into his shoulder.

"Well, that was exciting. I personally thought he was going to make it all the way through to the end. Oh those pesky flamethrowers, he shouldn't have styled his hair like that. Regardless, this concludes the first Class Trial. I hope we get to do this again, it was beary satisfying." Monokuma said with a laugh.

"How can you be so cruel, someone just died." Yuno snapped.

"You voted for him to die. Someone had to die for their crimes and all of you voted for him. You could have voted wrong and died in his place, but you got lucky, all of you are alive. So, feel free to commit murder again, maybe you'll find yourself on Mondo's end of the stick." he said firmly.

"Hmm...not exactly what I was expecting, but still quite entertaining. I'm rather impressed with your skills Yuno. For an Archer you were able to deduct everything quite nicely." Bryce said.

"Shut the fuck up before I break your face. You worthless piece of shit." Yuno shouted in anger, about to stomp over to the architect. Sayaka and Makoto held him back, pleading for him to stop.

"Heh, oh this game is sure going to be a blast. Just know, that I play to win, I am not dying in this academy." he said stoically.

He then walked toward the Court Room, keen on getting out of there. Yuno dropped to his knees, not bothering to hold back his tears anymore.

"How...how can someone be so cruel? What drives them to do that stuff?" he asked.

"Some people just like to watch the world burn." Nick said.

"That isn't helping." Celeste snapped, scaring the baker away. Sayaka hugged Yuno tightly against herself, cradling his head to calm him down.

"Shh, it's alright. It will all be alright...we'll get out of this, and when we do, we can find the mastermind and avenge Mondo." She said.

He looked into her eyes, giving her a simple nod, before returning his hug. By now, most of the others had left, with only Makoto, Mikan, Nick, Leon and Celeste remaining.

"Hey, I wanted to say sorry for everything. If this happens again, I'll be sure to think clearly before speaking." Nick said.

"I agree with that statement, you were just confusing everyone." Celeste said.

"Can we really get out of here though? I mean...look at what just happened." Yuno said.

"Of course we can. We can't lose hope now...sure we just lost a friend, but we can't let that bring us down. We have to remember what happened here today. We have to hold this deep with in our hearts and use it to move forward. We...have to adapt." Makoto said, looking at Celeste who gave a nod.

"Yes, In order to live in this mad world we find ourselves in, we have to join hands, and embrace the madness. Only then will we be able to see the hope that lies within our grasp." The gambler said.

Now understanding what Celeste meant, Yuno stood up, wiping his tears away. He shared a look with all of his friends, giving them a firm smile.

"Right...we can't let this be the end. This is only the beginning, the beginning of our future. We have to get out of here alive, so that we can stop things like this from happening. To do that, we have to become friends, and have strong bonds with each other." he said.

"That's right. We can't lose hope." Makoto said with a grin.

Yuno, though saddened, had made it through the first class trial. With this newfound hope and his stronger bonds of friendship, he lead them toward the Court Room, and the lift that would take them back to their prison. They would bide their time, and when it came, they would leave the academy and set out into the world, and they would bring the mastermind to justice.

 _ **(Academy of Despair: Deadly Life End)**_

 _ **Surviving Students: 15**_

 _ **Omake:**_

"Well, that's that."

Junko Enoshima let out a sigh, leaning back in her seat. The first class trial had gone by smoothly, and the despair she had gained had been absolutely amazing. The tingling sensation when they all witnessed the execution had been the best dose of despair she had gotten in quite a while.

The sound of the door opening made her turn around, and she witnessed the form of Monokuma walking in, holding a tray in its stubby hands. Following after, was her dear older sister, clutching the wound on her chest. The mastermind smiled brightly, clapping her hands.

"Mukuro, you finally made it back. How was surgery?" she asked.

"It went well. The stab wound wasn't that deep, so Akihiko was able to patch me up rather fast." Mukuro replied.

She sat down next to her sister. Monokuma placed the tray on the table, grabbing the pot of tea that was still steaming. Two delicate tea cups sat on the metal tray, along with a small bowl of sugar cubes.

"I'm so glad my big sis was able to pull through, yup yup." she cried, using a cute voice.

Mukuro looked at her curiously, used to her little sister's antics. She ran her fingers through her sweaty locks, and reached up to take out the bow and pin holding her hair up.

"Junko, do you think I can dye my hair back?" Mukuro asked. Junko looked at her, tilting her head a bit.

"Why the fuck would I allow you to do that? Can't you see your work isn't done yet?" she shouted. Mukuro wasn't at all phased by this, already used to her little sister's reactions.

"Well, since I was technically killed I thought I would dye my hair back so I could once again become Mukuro Ikusaba." She said. Junko sighed, shaking her head.

"Not yet, I still want you to pretend to be Junko Enoshima. The despair you will bring me will be especially delicious. Also, I want to see our little friend's reactions whenever he thinks he sees you." She said.

"So...you want me to pretend to be a ghost or something?" Mukuro asked.

"Yes, it will undoubtedly bring our friends some much needed despair." Junko replied, this time changing into her Teacher Persona. Mukuro sighed quietly to herself.

"Besides, we can't discard you yet. Someone has to stop the resistance, while breeding despair. We have to get back some of the soldiers we've lost to the Future Foundation. Class 79 is still out there you know." Junko said, rather passive.

"Yes, Class 79 has been giving the rest of the Ultimate Despair some trouble as of late. Akihiko Shouji, Ricardo Vasquez and Kanade Izayoi are the only ones who fell to despair. The rest of Class 79 have started that stupid organization, The Remnants of Hope." Mukuro replied, taking a sip from her tea.

"Ugh..don't remind me. They are still getting partial funding from the Togami Conglomerate. I swear, we should have killed Musashi Togami when we had the chance...well at least Daisuke is dead, so he isn't going to cause us anymore trouble" Junko said a smirk on her face.

"That is true...besides we couldn't have known that with the absence of Byakuya, Musashi would be the next in line to inherit the conglomerate. We did off with her parents and siblings just fine after all, but she was still able to elude us." Mukuro said.

"Yes, and Prince Nevermind is still kicking as well, but he's still busy dealing with his dear older sister. The Novoselic Civil war doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon."

"True, sister...I have one more question...what happens if they all regain their memories? The experiment wasn't without its flaws after all." Mukuro said. Junko looked at her older sister, once again adopting her teacher persona.

"It is quite simple my dear Mukuro. If they regain their memories, it will make getting their despair all the better. Imagine witnessing the despair of them realizing that the friends they were killing were people they've actually known for over a year and a half? It will be even better in the long run." She said firmly.

"You're right. As usual sister." the soldier replied, taking another sip from her tea.

She glanced up at one of the monitors, seeing her friends had all split up and headed to their dorms. Her eyes focused on Yuno and Sayaka, who decided to go to her dorm instead of his.

"Junko...what if...Kyoko figures out who she is? What if Yuno remembers who he is?"

"It shouldn't be that simple. After all, we had most of their memories wiped clean, leaving Kyoko with only vague memories of who she could possibly be. Yuno on the other hand got a batch of fabricated ones, if they intermingle with each other, it will cause him nothing but despair. Trying to figure out which are real and which are fake, it will drive him mad." She said, letting out a giggle as she spun around her chair.

"You are right. That kind of despair will be enough to drive the tragedy into high gear. It doesn't seem to be stopping anyway."

"It's not. As long as there is hope out there, there will always be a chance to breed despair. All we have to do is find the Resistance and the rest of the Ultimate students that didn't fall to despair and kill them all. That will show the world that despair rules supreme." She said firmly. Mukuro gave her a nod, her focus back on the screen.

She could see Yuno, just sitting on Sayaka's bed staring at the ground. Even though the Pop Sensation was trying to get him to talk, he just wouldn't say anything. She felt a knot form in her stomach.

" _I don't know why I feel like this. Is it because I'm enjoying their despair? Or is it because I felt hope while I was with them? I don't even remember why I started doing this. Backing out now...that would definitely not be good. Maybe...I should...no...I have to stand firm and help my sister. This is all for Junko...this is so Junko will love me."_

With that final thought, Mukuro Ikusaba sat back and watched her friends suffer the despair of losing a friend, a comrade. She was nothing more than a scapegoat for the first trial, she always had been a scapegoat, and now that someone had died she had been taken out of the game. As Junko Enoshima at least, her friends still didn't know that Mukuro Ikusaba was a student among them. There was a reason why there were Eighteen Stands in the Class Trial court room, but none of them would figure it out. Hopefully, no one else had to pay the price, sadly with Junko's clearly thought out plans, she knew it was only the beginning.

 _ **(Chapter 1 Academy of Despair End)**_

 _ **Remaining Students 16**_

 _ **Epilogue**_

For the longest time, Yuno lay down on Sayaka's bed, just staring at the ceiling. He had gone back to his dorm room, only to see that everything had been meticulously cleaned. There wasn't a trace of blood anywhere and Junko's body was gone. It looked as if nothing had happened. It had horrified him. To think that while he and his friends were down there, in the court room trying to figure out who killed her, someone had cleaned up the scene, just like that.

He grit his teeth at the thought of the word friend. Who was his friend? Were any of his classmate's truly friends? His friends? People he could trust himself with?

He quickly found out who was trustworthy in that excuse for a show that Monokuma called a trial. Mondo had killed Junko by accident, but the one who pulled the strings was Bryce. The Ultimate Architect planned her death. No...Junko was just a patsy...she wasn't supposed to die, the one that was supposed to die was he himself. He had set it up to get easy access to his dorm, so that he could let himself in while he was asleep.

If Sayaka hadn't asked him to spend the night with her, it would have been him on the ground, with arrows sticking out of his body. That thought scared him senseless. He had almost lost his life, all because of a petty argument.

"No...it wasn't a petty argument. Bryce needed to get put in his his place...no one should treat a woman the way he treated Mikan." he said aloud, possibly to reassure himself.

In the end, it was Junko's harmless curiosity that got her killed. Mondo had failed to identify her in the dark, and she was stabbed. What he didn't understand was how she was able to make it to the dormitories with a wound like that? Mikan said the initial wound had been the one that pierced her lung, and she had been losing a lot of blood at that point, evident by the trail that was in the hallway. She didn't look like the sporty type of girl. That was a question he couldn't answer...he just left it to adrenaline. The fact that she was able to survive two more stab wounds was beyond him. The hit to the head was the killing blow, she passed away without even realizing it. He could only hope her soul had found peace where ever she had gone.

That only brought him back down to reality. Mondo had said his motive was his brother's death. A news report of some sort...that probably made him want to check on his gang, which drove him to talk, but what was Bryce's motivation? It couldn't have been just that fight. It had to have been something else. Sadly, he would never get the chance to find out, since he had smashed his DVD after watching it.

His thoughts drifted back to his little sister Kotoko. She had been captured, that was for certain, but for what purpose? Could it be that the Mastermind was planning on using them as a motive? Or were they all stuck in a killing game like they were? It was all up in the air at this point, and trying to figure it out would only serve to drive him mad. He could only hope that Yuuki Maizono was taking care of her where ever it was they were taken.

Better yet, Leon had told them that his cousin Kanon was also caught by Monokuma and there was a high chance that the three were together somewhere. Kanon was the older of the three, so she would also take care of them, especially if she knew of his current predicament.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he closed his eyes. In the darkness, all he could see was Junko's smiling face. He subconsciously tried to reach out for her, only for her to dodge the hand. She gave him a wink and ran off, disappearing into the darkness, never to be seen again. He couldn't help but choke up, fresh tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

The sound of the door opening made him sit up, getting a bit defensive. He let out a sigh when he saw that it was only Sayaka, holding a tray of food in her hands. He looked at the clock, seeing that it was 4:34 in the afternoon.

"Hey Yuno. I thought you'd be hungry so I brought you some food." she said, placing the tray on the bed beside him. She had brought him a simple sandwich, along with a heavily decorated chocolate cupcake and an apple, as well as a bottle of water. He looked away from it, shaking his head.

"I'm not hungry." he said.

"Yes you are. You haven't eaten anything in two days, I know its hard..but we already got past the Class Trial. Everyone is trying their hardest to continue their daily lives." she said.

"I know they are, and I'm trying too...but every time I try to move on, I just come back to that fucking trial. How can someone be so cruel? How can _he_ be the cause of her death?" he asked firmly.

"I understand. Bryce is a total asshole for doing what he did...no...he's more than that. He's a vile inexcusable waste of a man who was put on this earth just to make people suffer. But you and I aren't like that. We pieced the clues together and brought him and Mondo to the light. We know now what he's capable of, and now that he knows we know, he isn't going to do anything hasty. We just have to be careful." she said.

"Sayaka..."

"Stop right there mister, I told you to call me Saya did I not?" she asked firmly, placing her hands on her hips. He let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

"There's a smile. Now come on and eat, or do you want me to feed you?" she asked, using baby talk at the end of her sentence.

Not wanting to be reduced to nothing more than a baby, Yuno grabbed the sandwich, taking a bite out of it. He smiled a bit, the familiar taste of Cheese Whiz and Mustard making him tear up a bit.

"Yes, I learned how to make your sister's favorite sandwich. I wasn't able to find chestnuts though." She said. He let out a chuckle, flicking her nose.

"Stop reading my mind. It's disturbing." he said. She puffed her cheeks, pouting at him.

"You are just jealous of my awesome abilities."

"Suuuure I am." he said, taking another bite from the sandwich. She sat beside him, running her hand through her hair.

"You know...I really like hanging out with you. You are a very interesting individual. I'm glad I was able to meet you, and be able to talk to Makoto as well." she said.

"You two went to the same middle school right?" he asked.

"Yup, Blackroot Junior High. That was when I was a rising starlet, so I was always getting mobbed. I never got the chance to talk to him, and eventually we graduated. I thought I would never get to see him again. Luckily, I was accepted into Hope's Peak Academy, during my first ever tour of Japan. My sister convinced me to come, since this was a prestigious academy. Boy, how I wish I hadn't come." she said, letting out a dry chuckle.

"Buuut, if you hadn't then you wouldn't have met me. That would suck because I am an awesome person." he said. She let out a laugh, playfully hitting his arm.

"I have to agree there. Even though the circumstances could be better, I am happy I came to the academy. I have great friends now, and not so great classholes." she said, making Yuno laugh. He almost choked on his sandwich, resulting in the idol pounding his back. He grabbed the water bottle, finally washing his food down.

"Jeez, try not to kill me alright?" he asked firmly.

"I won't." she said giving him a playful wink.

A few minutes after he finished his lunch, he and Sayaka just decided to hang out in her room, talking about nothing in particular, mostly her career since he could barely remember his at all. They settled into a comfortable silence afterwards, making the teen slightly drowsy. His eyes fluttered closed, as he was almost asleep. However, a sudden thought jolted through him, making him snap his eyes open. His brows furrowed as he begun to think, and he stood up, making Sayaka sit up as well.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Remember during the trial, how Junko used her eHandbook as a light source to find her way around my room?" he asked.

"Y-yeah...I remember that. What of it?"

"Her eHandbook wasn't on her, and it wasn't in my room at all. I searched everywhere, during the investigation and afterwards, her eHandbook is missing!" he said.

"That can't be...could it be that someone took it?"

"No...no one would take it, it wouldn't serve them any good. What would be the point in keeping it?" he asked.

"Maybe as a memento of what happened. Sadly, anyone of us could have taken it. I know for a fact that it wasn't me, and obviously it wasn't you. Makoto and Leon are incapable of doing something like that, so is Mikan. Celeste wouldn't stoop down to that level either." she said confidently.

"We can also rule Hina and Sakura out, since they would just give it to Monokuma. Mondo is no longer with us so he didn't take it. That only leaves Eleven people." he said.

"I'm pretty sure Kyoko would return it too...so it's ten people." she said.

"That's not entirely true. There's something about her that I can't describe. She was calm throughout this entire trial, and even during the execution she didn't as much as blink. If Kyoko did find Junko's eHandbook, she might turn it over sure, but what's stopping her from keeping it?"

"That...is true. She barely speaks as it is...perhaps she did take it."

"I'm not sure..but that only adds to the mystery of the situation. Junko was a victim of circumstance, but that doesn't mean someone can use her things to plan murder. We have to find her eHandbook and return it to Monokuma, who knows what someone can do with something like that." He said.

"It could be anywhere though...where would we look?" she asked.

"We'll start by sweeping my room. It could very be there, and I probably missed it. After that we'll search Junko's room, and any other place that may have been involved with her murder. We'll most likely find it if we retrace her footsteps."

"Right, we can do this...we can find out who took it, and return it to Monokuma...then Junko can finally rest easy." Sayaka said, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah...don't worry Junko...we'll find your Handbook, so don't fret over it." he said with a hope filled smile. He slipped on his boots and left the room, his own personal investigation about to commence.


	6. Chapter 2 Act 1: United We Stand

**A/N: Hello fellow Ultimates. I Celestial Sky Dragon bring you the first act of Chapter 2. I recently finished the fifth and final act of this chapter and got way to excited so I decided to post it. Fair warning though, A lot of the characters are out of character. I felt like, since this is my take on the series, I would make some of the characters act differently, that way all of them get fleshed out properly. I may not be following their backstories to the letter, but that's what fanfiction is all about people. Taking a character and changing it, making them behave in different ways, that's what it comes down to and that's what I love about it. This is what I love doing, making characters experience different things. Most of you were probably wondering why Mukuro was still alive at the end of the last chapter when clearly she was shown to be killed off...well that will be explained during this Chapter. and if you didn't read the last chapter, I am sorry for the spoiler.**

 **So, Yuno's little circle of friends are becoming more united as they try to figure out the reason behind their current dilemma. The first few chapters may seem light hearted, with the Second Floor now being open for exploration, but that is what I am aiming for, show them having fun then bam, despair party. I also must apologize in advance for who i have decided to kill off this chapter. No spoilers for that, you'll have to endure the despair of waiting. Upupupupu!**

 **God, I am becoming a lot like Monokuma now...regardless, I hope you all respect what I am doing with my story and enjoy everything i am trying to write. I worked extensively on this, writing all of the acts for this chapter this entire week, a record for me since I usually take a break and continue later on. With the release of Danganronpa 3 Future Arc, I want to see just how everyone is doing after the end of Super Danganronpa 2. There is a lot to work with for this series and I'm trying to abuse it all as much as I can.**

 **Also, if you feel like there's something wrong or something doesn't work in the way I intended too, or feel the need to yell at me, feel free to. I welcome it all as this is the first story I am pouring my time and effort into, second to Fairy Tail of course. This is one of my favorite series, and i daresay I watch it, religiously. Cookie goes to whoever gets the reference there. Also, if you have any tiny ideas you wish to see me use or want anyone to cause general mischief, please share it with me. After all, there are some Daily Life chapters to the story and I could use some ideas. I hope I don't disappoint anyone with Chapter 2's Deadly Life chapters, they are lackluster in my opinion, but I couldn't wait to start Chapter 3, there are a lot of things I want to write for that one.**

 **I have blabbered on enough. I gotta stop blabbering on about blabbering on and continue this story...So, without further adoo, here's Chapter 2 Act 1 for your reading pleasure...**

 **Update: As of 6/27/17 Chapter 2 Act 1 has been re edited. It contains some new conversations and some grammatical fixes...there is also an extended ending between Leon and Yuno...hope you all like it...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 2

Act 1

United We Stand

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

It was a new morning for the students of Hope's Peak Academy, and once again they found themselves trapped within its walls. Three days had passed since the deaths of Junko Enoshima and Mondo Oowada and still everyone was on edge. No one expected people to die, and yet it had already happened. The Motive seemed too strong for some, and in the end Junko paid the price. The cafeteria seemingly split after that execution, everyone seemed to stay away from Bryce, who now sat at a round table on his own, smirking at everyone and taking a sip of his coffee.

Byakuya and Touko were also by themselves, with the latter being near the Affluent Progeny for some reason or another. The blond had told her countless times to stay away from him, but she always somehow inched her way back to her previous spot, much to his dismay. Sakura and Hina sat at the long table with Taka and Kyoko, the two were talking mostly about supplements and healthy foods, while the latter just sat quietly, waiting for the others to arrive. Chihiro sat at the end of their table, quietly playing with her virtual pet, something almost everyone seemed to have forgotten.

The final table was being occupied by Leon, Celeste, Mikan and Makoto, who were all chatting quietly. They had seemed to develop a stronger friendship after the deaths of their friends, mostly because they saw the evil that lingered around them. It was unanimously agreed upon to keep a close eye on Bryce, but no one wanted to actually sit by him, so they resorted to just watching from afar, much to his amusement. Nick had been busy in the kitchen preparing food for everyone.

Well, mostly everyone, he had made it very clear that he only cooked for those who deserved it and those who wanted food had to make it themselves.

They had been waiting for quite awhile, but they knew the last two students weren't going to show up in time. Sighing, Taka stood up, gathering everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone. It is once again morning, and I'd like to thank you all for showing up. I wish to discuss our efforts in finding a way to escape. I know it looks bleak but...I'm sure we'll find a way out soon." he said happily.

"Pfft, we've been stuck in this _pristine_ _establishment_ for six days. If we didn't find a way out then, we aren't finding one now." Bryce said.

"How do you know that?" Hina snapped angrily. He smirked, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Hate me all you want, I am the _Ultimate_ _Architect_. I have designed buildings far greater than this. I have examined ever corner of this floor and I can assure you, we aren't getting out. If we amass some high grade explosives, maybe. Hey Leon, why don't you go find some other Monokumas. Maybe if we get enough of them we can blow a hole in the wall." he said, glancing at the baseball player, a sneer on his face.

"Hell no, if you have a death wish, then go fulfill it yourself...fucking asshole." he said, muttering the last part under his breath.

"Can't you all accept the fact that we aren't getting out of here anytime soon? You should all follow my advice and adapt to the situation. It will make it better in the long run." Celeste said.

"We can't sit around doing nothing. Adapting is an excuse you came up with because you're a lazy ass." Bryce said. The gambler merely smirked, hiding her smile behind her lips.

"How crass, I am a lazy ass? If that is your opinion of me, then you don't mind if I call you murderer right? After all you did orchestrate Junko's murder." she said firmly, her mask was firm, but her eyes were screaming in anger.

"Heh, call me what you will. I care less about formalities than I did about that airhead's life. She was useless and she had to go, her death served to test the waters. None of us were sure if the bear was going to actually do something if we did kill. Now we know that in order to leave, we have to survive a class trial. It was a blessing in disguise if you ask me." He said. Everyone glowered in anger, most wanting to maim the Ultimate Architect for his lack of tact.

"Oh will you shut the fuck up already? All that ever comes out of your mouth is useless drabble."

Everyone looked up, surprised to see Yuno standing at the door way, a tired expression on his face. It was clear that he wasn't sleeping well, but he at least made an effort to show up. He wasn't wearing his formal clothes anymore, instead choosing to wear a plain red tee shirt, a pair of black jeans and his boots. He also donned a sleeveless hoodie, which was black and green in color. His decorative pin was pinned over his right breast, and glinted in the light. Sayaka stepped up behind him, a smile on her face.

"Sorry I'm late guys, I finally got him to leave my room." she said.

"Even though sharing a room with a girl is not welcome in a school environment, I am happy to see you Classmate Yuno. It's great to see you finally coming around." Taka said happily.

"Yeah man, we were all worried about you." Leon added, ignoring Taka's scolding.

"I wasn't." Bryce said, though this went by ignored.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would show up dear Yuno. You haven't been keeping to our accord." Celeste said, getting a curious look from everyone.

"Eh...what?" Makoto asked.

"He and I agreed that if I were to testify in his defense, he would make me tea every morning. Was this not the agreement?" She asked. Yuno cringed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Sorry Celeste...the last three days have been hell for me. I haven't been sleeping right, and I've spent most of my free time looking around for something. I'll get on it." he said, walking toward the kitchen. Sayaka huffed, placing her hands at her hips.

"Celeste, that wasn't very nice." she said. The gambler giggled, placing her hands under her chin.

"My apologies dear Sayaka. I figured I would distract him a bit from everything that's going on. We also don't need him to be around..less than favorable people." she said, glaring at Bryce who flipped her off.

"G-guys...please d-don't argue. It's not healthy t-to." Mikan said, shuddering like usual.

"Mikan is right...listen, I know a lot of stuff has gone down in the last few days, but it's best if we just let old dogs lie. Junko and Mondo aren't with us anymore, and it's best if we respect them and let them rest." Makoto said, standing up from his seat.

"The Ultimate Ahoge is right. Let's just...live for the future, live for them." Leon added, earning an annoyed look from the Ultimate Lucky Student.

"Well said Leon, we can't let this drag us down. For our friends, we will get out of here alive, and we will get them the justice they deserve." Taka shouted proudly.

"Well...we're gonna need all of our energy if we want to escape this hell hole." Nick said, pushing a cart out of the kitchen. Everyone looked at the food wide eyed, seeing the spread the Baker had made.

"Oh wow, that looks amazing." Hina said.

"Tastes even better too. Oh, and don't worry Fishgirl, I made you some life savers just like you wanted." the baker said, handing the Ultimate Swimmer a plate of decorated donuts. Her face lit up, and she let out a squeal.

"Oh my god Nick, I can almost kiss you." she said. The baker chuckled, shaking his finger.

"Sorry Hina, I'm not wearing my _Kiss the Cook_ apron. So, everyone but Bryce, help yourselves to whatever you want." Nick said happily. The architect grit his teeth, but did nothing. He knew it would only make his situation worse. He sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"Perhaps planning murder was not a great idea at this point in time." He thought to himself.

Yuno finally returned, bringing Celeste's tea in his hands. He placed the cup in front of her, and stepped back, waiting for her response. Instead of a response, he got a nod and a smile, meaning he hadn't messed it up. He sighed, taking a seat next to her.

"So, how is everyone doing?" he asked, looking at his small circle of friends.

"We're doing great, and with this awesome food, even better." Leon said, shoving a forkful of scrambled eggs in his mouth.

"I agree, these waffles are killer." Makoto said.

"Well, seeing as I didn't get to make them earlier, I decided to remake the batter and make them now. You wanted strawberry right Yuno?" Nick asked.

"Oh, I'm not hungry...thanks for the offer though." he said.

"Yunosuke Nagahama, don't make me force feed you." Sayaka snapped, glaring at the archer.

"Saya, I'm seriously not hungry. I ate some candy from the School Store last night when were were looking around, so honestly I'm okay." he replied, holding back a yawn.

"Eating nothing but candy isn't healthy. You need to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day Yuno." Mikan said, rather sternly.

"Listen to the nurse Yuno, at least eat something." Makoto said. He sighed, taking the plate Nick had offered him.

"Thanks." he said. He grabbed the fork and cut a small piece of it, shoving it in his mouth. His eyes lit up a bit, enjoying the taste.

"This is amazing, what kind of syrup is this?" he asked. Nick chuckled, looking away from him arrogantly.

"Thought you'd never ask. That syrup was made from a mixture of fresh fruits and honey. It took me a few hours to make, I'm sure your all satisfied with the results." he said with a grin.

"How long have you been in here?" Touko asked.

"Since three am. I had to get an early start to the day...making everything else is a cinch for me, but I thought making something sweet would brighten everyone's mood up a bit. I had to practically beg Monokuma to let me in early, but a plate of waffles was enough to shut him up." he said, flipping a wooden spoon through his fingers, as if he had been doing it his whole life.

"Well, it surely did lift my spirits up." Sakura said with a smile.

"Lifted spirits? Bright smiling faces filled with hope? We can't have that now, can we?" the shrill voice of Monokuma said, appearing in the cafeteria. Everyone was suddenly on edge at the bear's sudden appearance.

"Well, it's good to see everyone is in full attendance today. Can't be all mopey forever you know."

"What do you want bear?" Byakuya asked, glaring daggers at the two toned animatronic bear.

"I just wanted to drop by and wish a good morning to all my students. I also wanted to remind you all of the rules that had been established, especially rule number two." Monokuma said, looking directly at Yuno.

"He hasn't broken any rules. It clearly states that sleeping anywhere but the dorms is considered sleeping in class." Sayaka said.

"No, it says sleeping anywhere but your _assigned_ dorm, is considered sleeping in class. For the last three days, Mr. Archer has been sleeping in your dorm. That's grounds for punishment at the full _extent_ of my authority." he said.

Yuno swallowed hard, growing rather scared. He subconsciously took a hold of Celeste's hand, squeezing it rather tightly. He didn't even feel her claw cutting into his palm.

"However, I have decided to waive this violation and let him go with a warning. Watching him mope around and cry Junko's name in his sleep was priceless. But from now on, you sleep in your own room...or the dead girl's room if you want. I'll even throw her key your way if you want." Monokuma said.

"Heh, sleeping in a dead girl's room, or sleeping in the room where the girl died, that's inherently evil." Bryce said, chuckling darkly to himself.

"I know right?" Monokuma replied with a grin, making the architect scowl.

"Fine, I'll take Junko's room key and use her room instead. I'd rather sleep in her room than in the room she died in anyway." he said firmly. Monokuma handed him the key, which had the name _J. Enoshima_ printed out on it in bold black letters. The bear grinned.

"Make yourself at home, but no swapping your stuff out, you still have to leave your crap in your room. That aside, I thought I would reward the entire class on their performance. You solved the case of the dead Fashionista quite well. So, from this moment on, Hope's Peak Academy's Second Floor has become available for exploration. Go ahead and explore till your heart's content. See ya all later."

The bear took his leave, and when he did, the sound of the metal grates opening filled their ears. Kyoko stood up from her seat, pulling on one of her gloves.

"Well, it seems we have a new place to explore...but I have business elsewhere so I won't be joining you." she said.

"Planning murder already?" Bryce said. She narrowed her eyes a bit, but didn't feel the need to reply to him.

"To each their own as they say." Byakuya said, making his way out of the cafeteria. Nick sighed.

"And just when everyone was in a happy mood too." he said. He started picking up the empty dishes, placing them back on the cart.

"Need help with that?" Yuno asked. The baker shook his head.

"Nah, I got this...go ahead and explore. Besides, these dishes get mysteriously washed when no one is around." he said with a shrug. Yuno felt a tug on his arm, and realized he was still holding Celeste's hand. He let out a nervous laugh, letting go of it, finally seeing the cut on his palm. She looked at the pink liquid on her claw and sighed, using a napkin to wipe it off.

"You know, that is the first time someone has ever held my hand to the point where it hurts to move." she said, opening and closing her hand, a look of pain on her face.

"S-sorry...I thought I was going to die."

"Do not fret. It was merely a joke...shall we explore the second floor?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw that it was Leon, who gave him a subtle nod and a smile.

"Me and Yuno will explore on our own. Why don't you and Sayaka go ahead?" he asked.

"Great idea Leon, me and Celeste can get to know each other a bit." the Idol said, giving him a grin.

"Very well. No lollygagging now...we must work together to find a means to escape."

The two girls left the room, remaining silent as they walked. Everyone but Leon and Yuno had left, so it seemed like the perfect chance to talk. Yuno was busy trying to stop his hand from bleeding to actually look at him, so he resorted to clearing his throat. Yuno looked up, looking at a grinning Leon.

"So, did you and Sayaka do anything for the past three days?" he asked.

"Nothing but explore the academy in the dead of night when everyone was supposed to be asleep. Don't tell Celeste, she'd kill me if she found out."

"Hey man, I ain't a snitch. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something...well...it's kinda stupid." he said, playing with his goatee.

"No question is a stupid question, unless you make it stupid."

"Well...how do you do it?" he asked.

"Beg pardon?"

"How do you get a girl as smokin as Sayaka Maizono to fall in love with you?"

"Saya isn't in love with me, we're just friends."

"Bullshit. If you can't see the subtle looks she gives you then you must be blind as a bat." he said.

"Bat's aren't blind though. They can actually see very well in the dark."

"Not the point...what is the point is that I want to get a girlfriend. Being stuck here, I realized that I'm not getting any younger."

"You're seventeen right?"

"I am." Leon replied.

"I'm just saying, you got your whole life ahead of ya. You can't be thinking like this is it you know. If we get out of here, you might find a girl." he said. He bleeding finally stopped, he decided to start heading up toward the second floor.

"Yeah, but what if I don't find one? What if we don't get out?" He asked.

"Leon, you are thinking pessimistically. You have to be stay positive and hope for a better out come." he said.

"How can you be so hopeful?" Leon asked. He shrugged.

"I have a lot to live for. I have to find my sister, and in order to do that I have to come out of here alive." he said. He also wanted to remember his past life, but he didn't voice that comment.

"I guess you are right about that. I still have to find my cousin Kanon, maybe their together."

"Hopefully with Yukki Maizono...I would hate to see something bad happen to Saya's little sister." he said.

"Anyway, back onto our previous topic...how do you get so close to girls? I mean, you have Sayaka already pinning after you, and I think Celeste may have a thing for you too, though it's a bit hard to tell with her."

"I think you are reading to much into this Leon. There's no way anyone would hook up here...this academy only breeds despair." he said sadly.

"Heh, now it's you who's being a pessimist...listen...I know its hard. Junko and Mondo were our friends, and the fact that Bryce set them up, with the original intention to kill you its just...what I'm trying to say is, they wouldn't want you to be like this. Or...could it be that you had a little crush on Junko?" he asked.

"Hell no! I didn't have a crush on her...she was too...forward for my tastes. I didn't think a Fashionista could be so vulgar and unladylike."

"But it made her a great person to be around no?" he asked.

"Yeah...wish I could have gotten to know her better." he replied.

"Whatever the case, I'll be watching you so I can learn from the best. I want to at least get one of the girls here to date me...maybe Asahina...she likes donuts so maybe I could make her some."

"Get Nick to help you, she seemed happy with the ones he handed her earlier."

"Hmm...you're right. I'll definitely ask him for help, anyway, why were you and Sayaka searching the academy after curfew?" he asked curiously. The two had finally reached the second floor, and noticed that almost no one was near the stairwell. That didn't stop Yuno from looking around for anyone.

"We were looking for Junko's eHandbook." he said.

"Uh...why is that?"

"Remember the closing argument? When I said she used her Handbook as a light source in my room? Well, I noticed that her Handbook wasn't anywhere near her body, or in her room at all. If Mondo had taken it, he would have said so, but he didn't. I've searched all over the first floor, and even the administrator's office on the first floor, but I didn't find jack. No documents either, that office was picked clean."

"That's...odd."

"No kidding, we did find Mondo's eHandbook though, it was in a small cabinet on top of the head secretary's desk. We searched it, but we didn't find Junko's at all." he said.

"Do you think someone stole it?" Leon asked.

"That's the theory I got...anyway, we best start looking around. Lets search that classroom over there." he said, pointing to the room next to the stairwell.

Sayaka and Celeste were in the library, looking around at the collection of books. The metal plating on the wall had doused their hopes of getting out of the academy, but they were impressed with the massive collection of literature. Taka had come into the library as well, but he was on the other side of the room, shouting things about preparing a study group and that libraries were welcome in a school environment. She grabbed a random book off the shelf, looking at the title and blushing a bit.

"Something wrong Sayaka?" Celeste asked. She quickly shoved the book back into the shelf, turning around the face the Gothic themed gambler.

"N-nothing's wrong Celeste, honest." she said. The Gambler smiled, placing her hands under her chin.

"You know, it's not nice to lie to people. Bad things happen to liars..you wouldn't want Yuno to think you aren't honest with people right?" she asked.

"But I'm not lying." she said.

"Perhaps, I suppose I am done exploring this room, I shall go reconvene with Yuno and spend some time with him. I could try to teach him how to play Poker." she said, making a move toward the doors.

"No...wait don't go." Sayaka said, forcing the gambler to stop. The idol sighed.

"I...may or may not have a crush on him." she said.

"It's either you do or you don't sweetie, pick one and stick with it." she said.

"Fine...I have a crush on him. He's just been so supportive and nice to me...even when I told him that I was planning a murder, he just accepted it. He even told me what happened to his little sister." she said.

"What happened to his little sister?" Celeste asked curiously.

"Sorry, that's something I can't share with you. I don't think I'm supposed to even talk to people about it, it's some...heavy stuff." she replied.

"Alright...I suppose I can accept that. We all have skeletons in the closet it after all." she said, glancing away from the idol.

"Regardless, he's been really sweet and I don't know...I have a soft spot for guys like that." She said.

"Really? I expected you to like punks like Leon."

"Ew no...don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy but he's a total player. He told me of this girl he met once after a baseball game, and he dated her for a week before dumping her for a cute cheerleader. He's bad with girls." she said.

"I do get that vibe from him. I just haven't gotten to know him better." she said.

"But what do you think, from one girl to another, do you think...dating is a good idea?" she asked.

"Honestly, I can't tell you what is a good idea or not. I personally have not been gifted with a relationship as of yet. I do agree that the circumstances are less than favorable, but if you wish to pursue this relationship with him, then I say go for it. It is a gamble after all."

"Life is a gamble, surely you know that better than any of us no?" Sayaka asked, a playful smile upon her features. Celeste giggled, giving her a nod.

"I suppose you are correct. Well, let me ask you this...what are your thoughts on Yuno?"

"My...thoughts on him?" Sayaka asked curiously, glancing at another romance novel. She blushed a bit at the name.

"Yes...do you find him handsome?" she asked, seriousness in her voice.

"Um well...I do. He's got nicely toned arms too, and I did see him shirtless for a few seconds when he was staying in my room...all I can say is he's ripped. Like he works out every day, I just want to feel his abs." she said, almost drooling.

"God, you sound like a bitch in heat." Touko said, causing the two girls to look in her direction. She was holding a book in her hands, one called Distrust. She had been looking at it oddly for a few minutes, trying to figure out why the authors name looked so familiar.

"I hate to agree with Touko, but the way you make it sound...it makes it seem like this is more than a school girl crush. You're dripping at him, metaphorically of course." Celeste said, causing Sayaka to blush. She also subconsciously checked herself, it would be embarrassing if she actually was dripping.

"I dunno...I find him extremely sweet. He's so caring, I mean look at how he reacted to Junko and Mondo...he cares about everyone, even Fuckface Mcguee." she said.

"Um...who's that exactly?"

"Oh, that's the nickname I made up for Bryce, cute huh?" Sayaka replied, earning a nod from Celeste.

"Ahem, well...all I've got to say is...try it out. Sure we're in a precarious situation, but isn't the gamble worth it? Anyone of us could be the next victim...so you should definitely take the chance."

"Hmm...I suppose your right...hey Celeste, do you think you could stop talking with that fake accent? I would actually like to hear you speak without it."

"Hehe, the day you hear my real voice is the day I kill you my dear." she said, causing the girl to shake visibly. The doors slammed open, startling the too of them.

"Ugh...I can't believe we didn't find anything interesting on this floor." Yuno said, finally entering the library, Leon hot on his heels.

"What are you talking about? There's a pool here, a freaking huge ass pool." He said.

"It's good to know the deaths of our friends got us a _fucking_ pool." Yuno deadpanned.

"Hey hey, no sad thoughts, we agreed on it." He said.

"Sure, just like we agreed to draw dicks on every chalk board." Yuno said, crossing his arms.

"Okay, you gotta agree that big veiny one was pretty funny." he said.

"No it wasn't, it was immature. Besides to me it looks like you are compensating for something."

"Low blow, that was a major low blow." Leon said, causing the boy to shake his head.

"Whatever, we got us a pool now. That means we can see the ladies in skin tight swimsuits, maybe even bikinis. Wouldn't that be great?" Leon asked, stopping before Sayaka and Celeste who had scowls on their faces. Yuno shook his head, trying not to chuckle. Taka stuck his head out of a book shelf.

"Bikini's are not welcome in a school environment!" He snapped.

It wasn't long until the rest of the students assembled in the library and started having a look around. Yuno was busy at the back of the room, leaning against a wall.

"Well, this floor didn't have anything that interesting. There were two classrooms, one at the end of the hall, and another near the stairwell. There was a bathroom next to the stairs, the hallway lead down toward another stairwell which was barred by another gate. Directly to the left was the weight room. There was also a small changing area for students that wanted to use the pool. Then of course comes the library." He said.

"That sounds about right." Sayaka said, looking over her own map.

"It's totally bogus that we didn't find anything. Both classrooms were empty, even the teachers desks were empty." Leon said, leaning against a bookshelf.

"Why won't this turn on?" Byakuya muttered, tapping the key of the laptop he had found.

"Yes, because hitting the tab key repeatedly is going to yield results." Bryce said, crossing his arms.

"It isn't my duty to make computers work." the heir replied, stepping away from the laptop. Chihiro stepped up to it, looking it over.

"Hmm...this is a laptop, its battery probably needs to be charged...there's no charger though." she said, looking around.

"Finding that is like finding a needle in a haystack. Damn, I was kind of hoping we could use the internet for information." Kyoko said.

"Oh sure, ask _Bing_ what to do when a psychotic bear captures you and seventeen others and pits you all in a free for all death match to graduate. That seems like a good idea." the architect said.

"Who the fuck even uses Bing? That shit is as stupid as Internet Explorer...hell even Netscape is more useful than that slow piece of shit...then again I guess only slow people use either of those Search Engines." Yuno said, causing the architect to growl.

"Oh yeah, you think you are so fucking smart, aren't you? You piece of shit, I hope you end up getting murdered asshole!"

"Seriously dude, you are really starting to piss me off. If you don't have anything important to say, keep your mouth shut." Nick said firmly.

"What are you going to do about it?" he said, facing down the baker. Taka stepped between them, separating them both.

"Enough. Fighting is against the rules of this establishment." he said firmly.

"Actually, fighting is entirely allowed in this establishment, especially if it leads to murder." Monokuma said, suddenly coming on over the screen.

"Piss off bear. No one wants to see your ugly mug."

"Gee, and here I thought it was being nice by granting you access to the pool. I could have let you all suffer on the first floor you know...don't worry, I have something beary special planned out for all of you." he said with a grin, flashing off the screen. Everyone glared at Bryce who scoffed and made his way out of the library muttering things under his breath.

"Hey, take a look at this." Makoto said, pulling out a stamped envelope. Yuno took it out of his hand, looking at it closely.

"It's...the mark of Hope's Peak Academy. It's addressed to the headmaster." he said.

"Well, don't keep us waiting." Byakuya said firmly.

Yuno rolled his eyes and opened the letter. It seemed as if it had already been opened, since the seal had already been torn. He noticed a bit of dust had gathered within the center fold of the letter.

"Dear Headmaster, Due to the events that have taken place, we have decided to cease all school operations. Hope's Peak Academy will be closed until further notice or until the matters have been resolved." he said.

"So, it seems this place stopped being a school, for now at least." Kyoko said.

"Yes, but when was this letter written? Does it have a date?" Byakuya asked.

"Yeah, is there a date? Who knows how long this place could have been closed down for before the mastermind took over." Leon said. Yuno looked over the letter, but frowned when he didn't find anything else on it.

"Sorry. There's no date...but from the dust that's gathered in the crease and the yellowing of the paper, I can definitely say that this letter is over a year old." Yuno said.

"How can you know that for sure?" Hina asked.

"It's just an estimate...I could be wrong. We all joined Hope's Peak Academy a few days ago, meaning the school was definitely operating as such then. I don't know what could have happened in the span of a few minutes to make it look like this...then again I wasn't exactly paying much attention when I walked in." he said, rubbing his neck.

"May I see that letter Yuno?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh...sure Kyoko, here." he said, handing her the letter. She looked it over, eyes narrowing a bit.

"What events do you think that letter is alluding too? I don't remember anything happening when I arrived here." Hina asked curiously.

"Perhaps it was something that forced the closure of this academy, it would make sense. Maybe our situation was the reason this academy closed." Sakura said, a pensive look on her face.

"I doubt it, we haven't met the Headmaster yet, so I doubt he would leave something important like this lying about." Makoto added, earning a hum from the Ultimate Wrestler.

"Hmm, well perhaps I can find some useful information here. It seems to hold several files within that seem quite interesting." Byakuya said, opening the door behind them.

The room was dark, but Yuno was able to make out the files and books kept within. His mind clouded over a bit, and for some reason those files seemed familiar too him. He shook the feeling off, blinking a bit.

"Well since we didn't find anything, does anyone want to hit the pool? It looks amazing and I really want to go for a swim." Hina said excitedly.

"I agree, we could all use a stress reliever, and swimming would help take our minds off what's happening." Sakura replied, standing by her friend.

"Thanks for the offer girls, but I think I'm just gonna go look around some more." Yuno said, turning toward the exit.

"Aw come on Yuno, you can't say you don't want to have a swim." Hina said.

"No...really I have things to do." he said.

"Come on Yuno, please?" Sayaka asked, giving him a puppy look.

He grit his teeth, looking away from her. He glanced at Makoto who seemed to be chuckling at his misfortune. Leon just gave him a thumbs up and a grin. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine, I'm sure I have some swim trunks somewhere in my room." he said.

"Yes! You are a great friend." She said hugging him tightly. He blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed.

"Cool beans, everyone who wants to swim join us at the pool." Hina said, racing out of the library, followed by Sakura. Byakuya sighed, entering the small room attached to the office.

"Sorry, but I have other things to do." he said.

"Uh...yeah me too." Touko hastily said, ducking behind one of the bookshelves.

"I have to form a study schedule for when we get out of here. We have to do our best to learn while we are in Hope's Peak Academy." Taka said.

"I'm gonna tell you this now dude, no one his going to follow it. In this place, no one is going to study." Nick said.

"It's as I have been saying, we must do our best to adapt to the situation. That letter stated this is no longer a place of learning, so we don't have to treat it as such. I shall be retreating to my quarters, it's been a while since I've played chess." she said.

"Uh...don't you need someone to play chess with?" Leon asked.

"Not necessarily. After all, I love playing chess against myself." she said with a smile, making the baseball player shudder.

"Why don't you join us Celeste? Afraid your hair is gonna get wet?" Nick said.

"My apologies, but I am not able to swim. I...never enjoyed it much." she said.

"That's bullshit. I'll teach you to swim, come on." Leon said, earning a frown from the Ultimate Gambler.

"As I have said before, I have no interest in swimming." she said.

"Is it because those pigtails are fake? You don't want to take them off right?" Leon asked. Celeste looked at him, glaring daggers at him. Her crimson eyes seemed to be glowing with an unknown power.

"How in the fuck did you arrive to that conclusion you spiky haired twat?" she shouted.

Yuno's jaw dropped, not expecting her to be so profane all of sudden. Leon also seemed taken aback, since he was quivering in his shoes. Even the passive Kyoko seemed impressed at the gambler's change of mood. She cleared her throat, looking at everyone.

"My apologies, that was unbecoming of me. I shall be going now." she said, giving them a smile before leaving.

"Holy shit, I thought she was going to kill me." Leon said.

"Noooo...what gave you that idea?" Yuno said sarcastically.

"Never talk about a girl's hair boys. A girl's hair, their emotions and their looks are the things that matter the most to them." Sayaka said.

"What about boobs?" Nick asked.

"Yes, and boobs." Sayaka said, giggling a bit.

"I have to agree there, what about you Yuno? What's your opinion on boobs?" Leon asked, causing the boy to glance at him.

"I don't even have an opinion." he said firmly.

"Come on, you've gotta have an opinion. Do you like them big, or do you like them small? Medium or Large?" he asked, twirling his goatee between his fingers.

"I feel like if I give the wrong answer I'll get stabbed." he said.

"Well now I'm curious...will you answer the question?" Sayaka asked, standing next to Mikan.

Both girls were looking at him expectantly. He swallowed hard, eyes scanning those left in the library. Taka, Leon and Makoto had rather perplexed looks on their faces now. Chihiro was blushing a bit but was keeping her mind busy with a programming book, and Touko was peeking from around the bookshelf she was at. Kyoko was pretending not to listen, but it was rather obvious that she was.

"Um...I don't feel comfortable answering this...I mean I guess I wouldn't mind my girlfriend having a nice rack." he said.

"That doesn't necessarily answer the question, big or small?" Sayaka reiterated, earning a sigh from the boy.

"Fine, if you must know I prefer C-cups...not to big, and not to small...something I can motorboat if I really wanted too, but not something I could lose a contact lens in...ya happy?" he asked, crossing his arms firmly.

"Uh..."

"Perhaps we should cease this talk...boobs are not welcome in a school environment." Taka said firmly.

"Dude, boobs are totally welcome in a school environment! It isn't like you can ask them to take them off or something." Leon said, brow raised at the Ultimate Moral Compass, who was trying his hardest not to blush.

"Well, thinking about boobs is very welcome in my pants environment!" he exclaimed, not an ounce of remorse in his voice.

Yuno rolled his eyes, taking his leave. He knew if he didn't leave, he would never get changed. Everyone else did the same, splitting up and heading to their respective dorms, or other places where they felt comfortable.

He walked down the stairs, heading toward the dormitories. As he walked though, he heard footsteps behind him. He looked around, trying to find whoever it was that was after him.

"Hello? Anyone there?" he called out.

He heard a giggle behind him, forcing him to turn around. He spotted a lock of bleached blonde hair, and he immediately took on after it. He ran down the hall as fast as his legs could take him. He raced past the nurse's office, heading toward the Gym. He threw the doors open, expecting to find someone inside, but instead he was greeted with emptiness. He ran inside, looking around the entire room, but he didn't see anything.

"What the fuck is going on with me?" he muttered to himself.

"Yuno...are you alright?"

He turned around, seeing a concerned Mikan standing behind them. He was a bit startled to hear her voice and even see her behind him. He looked behind him, seeing the empty gym behind him. He shook his head, clenching his eyes shut. He felt a dull throb in his head, the sudden headache made him feel a bit sick.

"I don't feel so good." he said, stumbling a bit. Mikan closed the distance, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you to the nurse's office." she said quietly, taking him down the hall. He looked back, eyes widening a bit when he saw Junko's form, waving at him form the bleachers, the doors closed behind them with a quiet clang.

"I saw you run past me...so I got worried." she said quietly.

"Oh...you were in the Nurse's office?" he asked, losing a bit of emotion from his voice.

"Yes...it's the place I feel the most comfortable in." she said.

"That's good. You aren't shuddering anymore, which is good."

"I uh...it's because we're f-friends, so it's easier to talk to you. I-it still happens sometimes." She said quietly.

She opened the pink doors to the nurse's office, leading him to one of the beds. He looked around, as it was the first time he had actually been inside it. It reminded him of an examination room, having several beds inside, enough for at least four people to be in the room at once. There was also a light where some X-Ray's were being displayed. Who's they were wasn't known. She guided him toward one of the bed's and had him sit on it.

"You wouldn't be here if you had eaten well you know." She scolded, walking across the room. She opened the drawer, pulling out an electronic thermometer.

"Sorry, I was busy all night trying to find something." he said, glancing away from her.

"No excuses, open up." she said. He sighed, opening his mouth enough for Mikan to slip the thermometer inside.

"You know, the others are waiting for me at the pool." he said, finding it hard to speak with the thermometer in his mouth.

"If you are sick then you aren't going up there." she said.

"But I'm not...I swear...I thought I saw Junko." he said.

The thermometer beeped and she removed it from his mouth, looking at the small screen. She hummed to herself, seeing that he had a normal temperature. She tossed the plastic sleeve into the trash can and placed the thermometer inside her apron. She looked into her eyes, narrowing her's a bit.

"Yuno, I know it's still kind of fresh but...you have to let Junko go. I understand what you feel, she was a friend to us all." she said.

"I get that, but I'm being serious. I saw Junko in the gym, she waved at me. I heard her voice!" He exclaimed, eyes widened. He was panting a bit too, he knew he wasn't lying, he had seen the Ultimate Fashionista inside the Gym.

"Please Yuno, it's not healthy to do this kind of thing. Will you please just let her rest and move on? Please?" she asked softly. He sighed, rubbing his eyes a bit. He got off the bed, heading toward the door.

"Fine."

With a sigh, he left the Nurse's office, heading back toward the dorms. Mikan was right, it wasn't healthy to keep thinking about Junko like that. She was gone, and no matter what he did she wouldn't come back. He felt tears threatening to spill and he took a deep breath, stopping himself from crying. He continued into the dorms, pulling out his key and slipping the key into the lock. He heard a door open and he looked beside him, seeing Chihiro coming out of her room.

"Hey Chihiro, what's up?" he asked.

"Um...hello Yuno." she said, becoming nervous all of a sudden.

Yuno looked at her curiously. He hadn't spoken much with the programmer, other than talking about a few things regarding technology. He didn't know much about coding, but he did know a lot about processors, though his knowledge was mostly because of video games. He was rather surprised to see her down here all alone.

"I would have expected to see you at the pool with everyone else." he said.

"Oh um...I'm not that good of a swimmer. I spent a lot of time learning how to program things so.." she trailed off, looking away from him.

"I get you, what have you been doing down here then? Reading something?" he asked.

"Yes, I've been reading books on complex coding. I have to brush up on my skills for when I get out of here of course." She said, ending her sentence with a cute giggle. He unlocked his door, pushing it open.

"Well I'll leave you to that then. If you change your mind about joining us in the pool, then please free to come along." he said, disappearing into his room. Chihiro sighed, glancing back at her own door.

" _Sorry Yuno, I'm a little busy at the moment. I promise to hang out later, for now I need to find something to make a charger."_ she thought to herself, before walking in the direction of the school store.

Yuno mumbled to himself as he headed toward the pool. It had taken him literally ten minutes to find some swim trunks, only to realize the school had some extra ones in the store room. He had gone into the changing rooms in the Boy's Weight Room, since it had personal changing stalls, though it was empty at the moment so it wouldn't matter. The sounds of laughter and splashing filled his ears as he walked into the pool.

It was as big as he remembered seeing. It was in fact the size of an Olympic Pool, with blue stripes painted onto the tile to mark the spaces between lanes. It also had seven diving boards at the front, mostly for swimming competitions. The crest of Hope's Peak Academy was also painted onto the tiles inside the pool and at the very back wall where the life guard tower stood.

The pool room had bleachers at both sides, which were made of stone, the windows above them were shut tight. Above them was a large dome, which would usually let the sunlight in, however it had been fully barricaded with several thick plates of iron, making it literally impossible for any light to stream in, luckily the lights in the room were enough to keep it well lit.

Everyone had by now jumped into the water, with a few people waiting by the sides. Hina was sitting at the lifeguard tower, keeping an eye on everyone. Since a few people couldn't swim well, she had decided to keep a mindful eye out. Sakura was near the center of the pool, eyes closed just enjoying the water. Even near the center, the water was barely above her chest.

Leon and Makoto were having a fight of sorts, slashing each other with pool noodles while shouting battle quotes from Animes he hadn't seen in forever. Taka seemed to be swimming laps around the pool, a bright grin on his face. Even though she had said she wouldn't be joining them, Celeste was also there, sitting by the bleachers with a deck of cards in her hand. She seemed to be shuffling them and dealing herself a hand, possibly to see how her probably rate was doing.

She had gone into detail once about the true way to gamble and he had found it interesting and boring at the same time. He did however learn that getting a royal flush took a lot of practice and chance, but other than that she let him go off easy. At least they hadn't set up a pot. He would been out of money and home if they did.

Sayaka looked up from her spot next to Kyoko, who had seemed rather relaxed for the first time in the few days he had seen her. Both of them were wearing school swimsuits, but they seemed to be rather skin tight, and displayed their figures quite nicely. Both of them had their hair up into high ponytails, and Yuno noticed Kyoko was still wearing her gloves, whatever the reason, he didn't know.

"It's about time you showed up." Sayaka said.

She stood up from her spot near Kyoko. Yuno noticed the purple haired girl eyeing him curiously. Yuno's breath hitched a bit when he saw Sayaka standing before him. She looked amazing in her swimsuit. It seemed to hug her curves nicely, really accenting her figure. Her hair also fell perfectly, the two strands that framed her face brought out her beauty. He also noticed her deep blue eyes, which seemed to glow in the lighting. He felt his cheeks getting hot and he looked away, only to see Leon's grinning face. He wiggled his brows at him.

" _I swear, I'm gonna shave his face."_ he thought to himself. The thought of a hairless Leon was enough to make him laugh, but he held himself back. After all, he didn't feel like explaining that to Sayaka.

"What took you so long?" Sayaka asked, ignoring the fact that he had been checking her out. Her cheeks were tinged slightly pink, but it wasn't that noticeable.

"Oh uh...I had trouble finding my swim trunks. It took me ten minutes to find them. Then I realized the storage room next to the pool had several in stock and I could have grabbed one from there, but I digress. How did you get Kyoko to join us all?" he asked curiously, glancing at the purple haired woman, who was more focused on her gloves than anything around her.

"It was really challenging...but I pretty much told her if she didn't relax, even for a few minutes, that I would sing _Narwhals_ until she either killed me or killed herself."

"Jesus Christ, Sayaka that's so dark." He said, taken aback.

"Yeah well, I try." she said, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers.

"So...did you even swim at all?" he asked, noticing her skin and swimsuit were completely dry.

"I was actually waiting for you. Now that you are here we can play a game, how about we see who the fastest swimmer is?" she asked a cute smile on her face. He frowned, looking past her at Asahina.

"We all know Hina is the fastest swimmer here. She's the Ultimate Swimmer after all." He said.

"This is true." Hina added, only to loudly blow the whistle afterward. She pointed at Leon and Makoto, glaring at the two.

"Stop rough housing." she said shouted, causing the two boys to stop what they were doing.

"She's taken the life guard role rather seriously." he muttered dryly.

"Well, we can figure out who's the fastest between us. Betcha I'll win." She said, giving him a bright grin. He scoffed, shaking his head.

"In your dreams, I'll be swimming so fast you won't even see me until I get to the other side of the pool." he replied.

He had an equally large grin on his face.. As he was about to hop in, the school broadcast alarm started ringing. Everyone's smiles turned to frowns, knowing full well what was about to happen.

"Alright everyone, I'm getting sick of all the laughing and the fun, so get your asses in the Gym, it's time for your second motive" Monokuma said briefly, before his voice tuned out. Yuno sighed angrily, glancing at the pool.

"There goes are fun." Leon said, making his way to the pool side. He pulled himself out of the water, holding his hand out to Makoto who graciously took it.

"We didn't get to swim, I'm sorry Sayaka." Yuno said, rather disappointed. Instead of a frown, Sayaka simply giggled.

"We can come back later. Our swimsuit's aren't wet so we can just wear them under our clothes. Let's go change and get this motive over with, I just want to relax instead of worry about it." she said.

"Alright, I'll meet you in the hallway after I change." he said.

Both nodded, heading toward their respective changing rooms. The sense of dread had returned, and Yuno was starting to get nervous. Another motive meant another reason to kill, and he wasn't looking forward to that. He got enough death the last time, and he honestly didn't want to see anyone else get hurt or worse, but he didn't have a choice. It seemed better to appease the bear rather than oppose him. He glanced at the Gatling Guns outside of the Weight Rooms and grimaced, imagining them in action.

"Man, whoever gets shot by those would get turned into Swiss cheese." he muttered.

"That's the idea. Apparently, those are there so that the guys can't break into the girl's weight room and vice versa. They're trying to wrangle the perverts it seems." Leon said.

"What you mean like you?" Yuno joked, getting a punch from the Baseball player.

"Please, I wasn't the one checking Sayaka out. Man, if you made it more obvious, she would have been able to swim in your drool." he said.

Yuno decided to ignore the orange haired athlete as he changed into his regular clothes. Maybe he and Sayaka could come back when no one was around and spend some time together, maybe he could tell her about the hallucination he had earlier as well. He could only hope that the motive Monokuma had chosen wasn't as grave as the previous one, though he doubted it.

xxx

Junko let out a little giggle as she watched everyone changing back into their normal attire. Those who weren't in the pool were already making their way to the Gym. She had watched Byakuya read all of the files in the back of the library, enjoying every reaction he made, especially after reading the one regarding Genocide Jill. Every grimace made her tingle, and the funny part was that the Serial Killer was in the room with him! That made it three times better in her opinion. The added despair she got from watching Yuno run after his supposedly deceased friend made it even better.

Mukuro entered the Data Processing Room, which was located in Hope's Peak Academy's fourth floor. She had been a little out of breath, but otherwise looked perfectly fine. She still wore her Junko Enoshima outfit, as she was still pretending to be her little sister. Her hand was clutching her side, where she had gotten stabbed. Junko spun in her seat, glaring at her sister.

"Mukuro, answer my question. I was reviewing last night's surveillance footage and I saw Yuno and Sayaka, walking around the academy looking for something. They checked everything extra well, including all of the spots you had been at before your _'death'_. Is there a reason why?" she asked.

"Um...not really. It must be a coincidence that they're checking those places, I don't remember doing anything there in particular." She admitted. Junko looked at her closely. She noticed the Kitty Barrette being used to hold her hair up, making her narrow her eyes.

"Ahuh...what about your eHandbook, do you still have it with you?" she asked.

"About that...it seems that during the scuffle, and placing the fake body in the room, I..may have lost it."

"May have? Explain?" Junko said, adopting her teacher persona. Mukuro cringed, but decided to stand at attention, regaining a bit of her soldier persona back.

"Well...as you know, when I was stabbed, I hid out in Yuno's dorm until you got Serenity to take over. I was using my Handbook as a light source while I hid in the bathroom, and when Mondo stabbed the her, she screamed, making me drop it. I couldn't find it in the dark and I couldn't risk being spotted, so I left without it." she said.

Junko sat there silently, going over the information that her sister had shared with her. She rose her hand to her face, partially covering her face with it, leaving two fingers raised.

"Useless, how is it that you were able to forget a detail like that?"

"It was an honest mistake sister. I've been trying to get back into his room to retrieve it, but it is nearly impossible, especially with them all walking around the academy. I have to wait until they all go to sleep." She replied.

Junko let out a laugh, a crown appearing on her head, seemingly out of nowhere. She placed her hands at her hips.

"Hahaha, quite the plan methinks. It's actually good that I gave young Yunosuke our room key then." She said, her voice changing to a British accent.

"I still think that is a little cruel sister." Mukuro said. Junko sighed, and stomped over to where her sister stood.

"See, this is why it had to be you who was down there and not me. You are literally too _fucking_ soft. I'm starting to doubt your change into the _Ultimate_ _Despair._ " She snapped.

"I killed the Steering Committee, was that not proof enough?" Mukuro asked.

"Pfft, please you only did that too appease me. And it totally worked, yup yup. Though no one is going to find that out for sure yeah?" she said, switching to her cute persona.

"My apologies sister. I truly didn't mean to upset you."

Junko sighed, smiling at her older sister. Mukuro didn't know if it was genuine or not. She trusted that Junko wouldn't do anything to her, but in the back of her mind she suspected her sister would snap at any moment.

"Oh dear older sister of mine. It's alright...after all, if they do find you school identification, then it won't be the end of the world. You'll just have to rejoin them as Mukuro Ikusaba. Well...that is if you didn't change your name and identification on it." she said. Mukuro's eyes widened, and she bit her lip.

"Damn! Literally the only thing that I didn't think of. Maybe I've been playing as Junko for too long."

"Oh well. Let's just hope that Yunosuke doesn't find it...oh wait...lets us despair if he does." she said, letting out a giggle. She retook her seat, content to see her class had finally reached the Gym.

"Sister, Yuno saw me earlier, though he thought I was merely a hallucination. I believe his memories are making him see things, and the fact that he has been searching meticulously for the last three days is enough to raise alarm."

"Like I said before, if his memories pool together with the ones we planted within his psyche, then that will make the game much more interesting. Besides he's never gonna figure it all out, even with half of his memories back. He'll probably get useless ones back anyway...I should have planted my own memories within him, had him join the class as an _Ultimate_ _Despair._ The bastard never did quit searching to the cause of it all. He even had Daisuke's help after all, look where that got him."

Mukuro watched as Junko grabbed her black and white headset, about to take command of Monokuma. She didn't know what motive she would throw at them this time, but what she did know was that in Junko's twisted mind, any motive would serve to hinder their friend's progress through the game. Once again lost in her mind, she started pondering what her sister said about her weakness, and her probability of her not truly becoming an _Ultimate_ _Despair._

 _ **(Omake)**_

"Wonder when someone will stumble upon the little surprise you left in the classroom." Yuno said, looking at Leon who let out a chuckle.

"Pfft, I doubt anyone would find it that soon. They would be too focused on the dicks I drew instead." he said, placing his arms behind his back.

"But still, I'm sure someone is going to find it sooner or later. What inspired you to even do that? Where the hell did you even find the rubber bands?"

"I got them from the School store, there were tons of packs just scattered around. Heh, if someone finds it, I'll be surprised, getting it all to work just right wasn't easy...but it wasn't hard for the Ultimate Baseball Star." he said wink a confident smirk.

"Right, hey...I found something interesting in the Administrator's Office." he said, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

"Thought you said there wasn't anything in there little dude."

"I did...but I didn't deem this important." he said, handing him the paper.

"Hmm, Hope's Peak Academy has traditionally called their alumni the Super High School Levels. It used to be a traditional title until shortly after the previous headmaster _Kazuo Tengan_ had stepped down. The new headmaster *** ******** decided to change the title to _Ultimates_ since it was easier on the students and staff alike, as they didn't have to write the titles out entirely...seems like they cut out the name of the new headmaster. This person really doesn't want us to find shit out huh?" Leon said, handing him the paper back.

"Yeah, they intentionally blocked out all of the stuff with the current headmaster...though I do remember hearing about Kazuo Tengan before." Yuno said, earning a curious look from Leon.

"Oh really, what do you know?"

"Um...it's a bit hazy but...I do remember he stepped down after Class 74 entered Hope's Peak Academy. That was...six or so years ago, but I have no idea who the current Headmaster is. It's like I can see him, but whenever I try to remember, it just goes blank." he said.

"You know something, that's happened to me too. I got this weird memory last night...it was about me hanging out with this kid from the class above ours...Class 77. He was always with this girl and they loved ripping on each other. She convinced him to steal someone's bra, and he got caught by the owner." he said.

"Seriously? That's an oddly specific memory to get back don't you think...wait...do you have amnesia too?"

"Too? What do you mean _too_? You're an amnesiac?"

Yuno frowned, glancing away from his friend, giving him a slight nod.

"I don't remember much about myself before this academy. The only person I do remember is my little sister Kotoko. I also know for a fact that I have an older sister, but whenever I'm close to seeing her face, she vanishes, just like the headmaster. It's all a swirling mass of emptiness, all of it keeps trying to make a coherent thought, but it never can." he said.

"Well, I can honestly say you have an interesting way of explaining things. I just...have a feeling, like we all met before, and hung out too...I can't remember anything about anyone though. Like if Sayaka was dating someone, or if that boy I mentioned was a close friend or not...it's rather frustrating."

"It is...but anyway, I think I like the previous titles the school used before the new headmaster changed them. The Super High School Level Archer. It has a nice ring to it."

"Eh, I think I'll stick to Ultimate Baseball Star, much easier to say." he said.

"To each their own I suppose."

"Hey, answer me this question, and be serious about it. What do you think about Sayaka?" Leon asked, causing the boy to stop. They were near the library now, a few feet from it, in fact.

"Well...I think she's a very sweet person. You would honestly think the Idol industry would have corrupted her like some other people... _Justin_ _Bieber._ "

"Why'd you bring that fag into this?" Leon asked.

"Sorry, It's just...I dunno man...she's an amazing girl...she's got a beautiful personality, and everything about her is perfect. Her blue hair that sparkles like the morning sky, those beautiful blue eyes that are like an endless ocean, and her voice, which can melt even the fiercest of frozen hearts. She's the Ultimate Pop Sensation, a woman loved by millions world wide."

"I'm assuming that also includes the Ultimate Archer correct?" Leon asked jokingly. Yuno frowned, glancing away from him.

"I'm not good enough for her. I mean...I'm just some Archer, I am not that special...hell the only achievement I've got under my belt is being in this hellhole. That's not exactly an achievement either, since I can't exactly _remember_ any others. What I am trying to say is, yes she's a wonderful person and anyone would be lucky to have her by their side. But in a situation where Hope and Despair are in a constant struggle for dominance, dating isn't exactly the best use of our time. This witty repartee being force fed to us by Monokuma can get rather grating. Won't be long until one of us bites the dust, whether by our hand or someone elses, I don't know." he said.

Leon remained silent, not exactly knowing how to reply to his friend. What he had said made absolute sense, they were in a bad situation, with no access to the outside. They were stuck there, stranded within the Academy of Hope, no way to contact their loved ones. No way to even know if they were alive, or if they thought about them. But it also made him think hard about the whole situation. He placed a hand on Yuno's shoulder, giving him a smile.

"See, that right there _is_ the reason why you should tell her how you feel. Sure, it's been six days, but after all of this bullshit we've been through, she has to say something. I mean come on, we can die at any given moment, that should be initiative enough for you to ask her out. We will get out of here, that I assure you. We just gotta find out what team we're playing against and hit them outta the park!" he said cheerfully. Yuno nodded, a pensive look on his face.

"Well...when you put it like that, you bring a good point. Plus she has a cute butt, that's enough for me to give it a try." he said, earning a chuckle from the baseball star.

"GODDAMN IT, WHO THE FUCK DREW A DICK ON THE CHALKBOARD?!"

"Go Go Go." Leon said, ushering the teen into the library, both of them chuckling like school girls.


	7. Chapter 2 Act 2: United We Stand

**A/N: Helloooooo everyone. Celestial Sky Dragon here with the newest chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. I have to say, even with the low views I'm getting on this story, I'm still really happy I'm writing it. There's so much this series has to offer and I just want to do my best with my take on the series. It may look weird and some characters may behave in ways they normally wouldn't, but eh...It's okay. Everyone has their take on stories, and this is what fanfiction is about.**

 **I just finished watching the First episode of Danganronpa 3 The End of Kibougamine Gakuen Despair Arc, and I have to say, it was really good. It makes me happy to see the Remnants of Despair acting like friends and their antics really made me laugh. But at the end of the episode I thought back on everything and I felt really bad. They were such a happy bunch of kids, and in a fraction of a second, they all abandoned their hope, trading it for despair. I felt really guilty knowing what happens, but I'm still happy we get to see this side of them. So because of that I have decided to post this new chapter, and redouble my efforts to make my story the best it can possibly be.**

 **With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter of Danganronpa The Life of Mutual Killing. And seriously, go watch the new anime, it's already getting good and only one episode of each has aired. I can't wait to see the rest and learn more about Hope's Peak Academy and the students who were once the Future Hope of the World.**

 **Update: 6/27/17: Chapter 2 Act 2 has been re edited. It has various grammar fixes, and various new things added into it...I have also edited this chapter and changed Koyomi to Natsumi, that was something that always annoyed me, so hey its wonderful to have it fixed!**

Danganronpa

The High School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 2

Act 2

United We Stand

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

Now that everyone had assembled in the Gym, the students of Hope's Peak Academy had the chance to converse among themselves, though it was mostly recapping their discoveries on the second floor, as well as the motive that was about to be given. Yuno couldn't help but feel slightly more comfortable now, even with the onset of despair he was most likely going to feel with the new motive. Sayaka was standing next to him, her hair still in its ponytail.

She had put her skirt, stockings and shoes back on, but she had left her shirt unbuttoned, since she wanted to head back to the pool. He himself had done the same, staying in the wife beater he had packed for after he had dried off. Leon whistled loudly, wrapping his arm around Yuno's shoulders.  
"Damn dude, check out the muscles on your arms. You lift weights?" he asked.

"Eh, occasionally. I have to be able to pull back the string on my bows so I have to lift a certain weight." he said.

"I never asked but, what are the qualifications for entering an Archery competition?" Makoto asked.

"I...honestly can't remember them all. There are a few I do remember, like you have to be trained by a legal instructor. There are also little things like alcoholic drinks and drugs being on the tournament grounds. Oh, and littering is also against the rules, get caught and your ass is disqualified, no exceptions." he said.

"Seriously? That's bogus." Leon said, quite surprised.

"What about for the Olympics? You said you had been asked to participate right?" Hina asked.

"Hmm...I don't remember they're regulations perse, I believe they're around the same as national tournaments. I remember I was chosen to go in for the long distance target shooting. My average is three bullseyes out of five shots." he said.

"That's impressive." Sayaka said. He chuckled, rubbing his neck.

"It's nothing, there are people who average better than that. I'm just lucky this Academy scoped me out in the first place...well before all of this bullshit anyway." he said.

"So, how much do you usually lift?" Makoto asked.

Yuno looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He had his hand on his chin, eyes narrowed.

"Hmm, I'd say around 90 pounds, at least. The heaviest bow I own has a draw weight of 85 pounds, it's a bit difficult to hold for me, even if I can reach the full draw. An arrow from a bow with that power can go through a person, and an elk, and a deer, at the same time. Well, it would eventually lose speed, I don't doubt it wouldn't go through a person though. Sucks to be on the receiving end of that." he said with a dry chuckle.

"That would suck." Leon muttered.

"Especially with the heads I use. The blades spring out mid flight slicing through flesh and bone...I haven't gone hunting but I'm sure I can kill a bear easily." Yuno admitted.

"At least if it's in the head it will be quick right?" Hina asked.

"Can we...please stop talking about death?" Sayaka asked, getting nods from everyone.

"Sorry, I sort of brought it up." Yuno said. She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, I just don't like hearing about it because of...well..you know." she said. He gave her a nod. He was about to say something when they heard Monokuma's laughter.

"So, I saw everyone brimming with hope, and you know how I hate that shit, so It's time for your second motive." Monokuma said cheerfully. Yuno sighed.

"Seriously, you couldn't have waited another day?" he asked.

"Nope. I saw you all enjoying the pool so I figured it was time to dash your ray of hope. I'm actually pretty satisfied with myself." the bear replied.

"Yeah, I bet you are you sociopath." Leon muttered.

"Well, I'm not pulling the stops this time. I like to call this little motive Whack-a-Mole. One of you Fifteen students has been keeping tabs on you and giving information yours truly, the thing is, I'm not telling you which of you it is." He cried out.

"What? You can't be serious." Nick said, backing away from everyone. Yuno grit his teeth, the effect was instant.

The second Monokuma said that everyone was at each others throats. He was right to be worried, this motive was way different than the previous one. While the last one was getting them to lose hope in ever seeing their loved ones again, this one was geared toward them turning on each other. The mastermind was definitely a keen observer.

"You guys, don't believe him. This is obviously a trap, he's trying to get us to turn on each other." Makoto said, looking at his friends.

"I agree with Makoto. There is no way a mole could be hidden among us." Celeste said.

"Oh, and you believe this? There is a possibility of there being a mole within our ranks. Personally, It's a miracle none of you considered that possibility." Byakuya said.

"Oh and you have?" Kyoko asked.

"Well of course. After the first Class Trial, I started reevaluate our situation, a mole being among us was at the top of my list." he replied.

"Of course it would, that's probably because it's you." Bryce said.

"What makes you say that? For all intents and purposes, you could be the mole. I mean shit, you went as far as planning murder after all." Nick replied firmly. Bryce rose a brow, a smirk on his face.

"Going by your logic, you could be the mole." He said.

"Oh man, this is getting good, and I haven't even discussed the best part yet. I have information that the mole gathered about all of you. Of course I included their own information in the mix, just to stir things up. Read it and weep." Monokuma cried out, tossing the folded pieces of paper into the air.

They all feel to the ground in front of the students, most of them face up. They all scrambled to get their respective papers. Yuno finally got his and looked at it curiously.

"Shit, this is not gonna be good." he muttered to himself.

He looked at Sayaka, who was reading her own information. Her eyes widened and she clutched the paper tightly. She seemed to freeze up, not uttering a single word. Leon and Mikan were much in the same state. Celeste, though she was calm, had a certain fire in her eyes, most likely wanting to destroy the bear where he stood, but she held herself back behind her sickly sweet smile. Even though he thought it against it, he decided to look at his information.

" _Yunosuke Nagahama was a key witness in a court case that involved the repeated rape of his little sister Kotoko Nagahama. He was also the first person who she called after escaping her rapist, and also had to sit through an entire thirty five minute film depicting the entire event."_

"No...no...out of everything you could have found, it had to be this?" Yuno cried out.

"Upupupu! Yours is quite interesting. Also, the best part of the motive is the last part, if you do not successfully find and kill the mole, all of that information will be shared through the school wide broadcast system. Just imagine the despair everyone will feel when their deepest darkest secrets get exposed. You can all thank the mole for that...but who are they? Are they a boy or a girl? Maybe both? Who knows? Good luck with the hunt." Monokuma called out, back flipping behind his podium and disappearing.

"Get back here! Son of a bitch...how can he do this to us?" Nick shouted, stopping just before the stage.

"Give it up, if you wanted him to reveal the identity of the mole, that's not gonna happen." Bryce said.

"That's because its you asshole, just admit it." Leon said.

"You actually think I corroborated with that thing? Are you nuts? The information he got from me is heavier than you fucking think. I would never ever give out a person's personal information to someone like that." He said.

"You planned murder, so we can't deny the fact that you are the most suspicious." Byakuya said.

"Believe what you will, just know that I wouldn't stoop that low. I would rather kill someone, and considering the shit the mastermind has on me, I might as well do it." he said, taking his leave.

"Hmm, it would be best to keep an eye on him, lest we have an actual murder on our hands." Celeste said.  
"If you want to keep your eyes on him, then feel free. I have other things to do, like finding this mole perhaps?" the heir said, also taking his leave.

Touko muttered something under her breath, following after the blond. Everyone else started slowly leaving the gym. Yuno took a deep breath, finally folding the paper in his hand. He hadn't realized how long he had been standing there, just looking at the paper.

"Uh...are you alright Yuno?" Sayaka asked, stepping up next to him. He wordlessly handed her the paper, giving her a nod.

"Yeah, I'm alright." he said, turning around.

"Are...you sure you want me to read this?"

"You already know what it's about. Besides, you five are my closest friends in this place and I trust you with that secret. I'll wait in the pool alright?" he said, finally taking his leave.

Sayaka stood there, shocked that he had not only trusted her, but the rest of their small group. She opened the paper in her hands, skimming the words on it. Her eyes widened, finally understanding the reason for his outburst.

"What...what's wrong?" Leon asked. She turned around to face him, tears in her eyes.

"Listen, what I am about to share with you has to stay with us alright? He trusts us all with this secret and it's best we keep it that way. We can't have scumbags like Bryce and Byakuya hearing this out. So promise you'll keep it between us." She said.

"Sure, he's my friend. I wouldn't betray him like that." Leon said firmly, crossing his arms.

"Same here, I wouldn't do that to him, not after all he's been through." Makoto said.

"Yuno was my first friend...I hold him very dear in my heart. So I wouldn't do anything t-to betray him." Mikan said firmly, she was trying her hardest not to get nervous, but her own information had her worried.

"You needn't worry about me spilling his secret. He is a trustworthy person and if he trusted us with it, then I can definitely trust him with more than my own." Celeste said, giving the idol a serious look. Sayaka nodded, a kind smile on her features.

"Well, I'm sure you all remember our previous motive correct? Where they showed us our friends and loved ones?" She asked.

"How could I forget that? Seeing my cousin Kanon lying down on the ground was enough to make me sick to my stomach. I'd never forget that." Leon said.

"Well...as you all know, Yuno's motive was of course the one that involved his little sister Kotoko. Well, there is more behind her story..as it turns out, she was enrolled in Hope's Peak Elementary School." she said.

"Hope's Peak has an elementary school?" Makoto asked, clearly surprised.

"Even I wasn't aware of that." Celeste replied, she was surprised as well. Leon didn't voice his comment, though it matched everyone's reactions to a T.

"Yeah, apparently Hope's Peak has facilities all over the world, trying to scout the best and most talented people of the world. Regardless that's not what this is about. The thing is, Kotoko isn't his actual little sister, she's adopted. The reason being her mother is in jail."

"That's okay I think. If her mother is in prison then she couldn't very well take care of herself. It's noble of his family to take her in." Leon said.

"If only that was it. It's actually much worse than I initially thought. The reason why her mother is in jail, is because of her talent. She was given the title of Lil' Ultimate Drama, and due to that, her mother only saw money signs on her daughter. She wanted her to star in her very first movie, and she found her a producer. The thing was, that producer ended up _...raping_ her."

"Wait...what?" Makoto asked, eyes widened.

"How old is this girl again?" Leon asked, an incredulous look on his face. Celeste had an equally shocked look on her face, though it wasn't as apparent as Leon's.

"Ten." Sayaka replied sadly, a frown on her face.

"Oh my god." Mikan stuttered, unable to believe what she was hearing. Leon clenched his fists, face contorted into one of anger. Makoto looked at the floor, eyes widened. He was speechless, how else could he even react to hearing something so...vile?

"This world is filled with nasty people. I can't believe she would allow her own daughter to have her purity taken from her. Who the fuck does that?" Celeste replied, her mask almost breaking. It took a lot not to let any emotions seep through, but she was pissed as all hell.

"One day when Kotoko was being." She paused, trying to find the right words to say. She remained silent for a few seconds, finally getting tue courage to speak.

"She ended up getting away from the guy, and she ended up calling Yuno. She used to perform at the large park in town, and she attracted a lot of attention with her acting, Yuno being one of them. She gave him her number at some point I suppose, or maybe he gave her his because he suspected something, I digress. She got away and called him, telling him everything. Of course, Yuno called the police and they discovered the entire thing. That producer, that sick excuse of a human being...he filmed it all, and sold it to the black market. He filmed himself repeatedly raping a little girl, all while her mother sat by and watched, and even participated in the acts."

"Jesus Christ." Leon muttered, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"Did they do something about this?" Makoto asked, earning a nod from the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

"Yes, they were all taken in, and one guy was put to death. Somehow they were able to find all existing copies and luckily it never ended up online. However, Yuno had to testify for his little sister since she was in therapy, the poor thing tried killing herself, six times. He had to talk for her and since he only knew what she had told him, they were forced to watch the video evidence." she said.

"So he had to...see it?" Leon asked.

"Yeah...he had to sit through it. He doesn't like talking about this, and I myself was surprised he was so forward with it. I suppose he told me because he trusts me, and I trust him.. Which is why I plan to share my information with him as soon as I can. I don't know if you all have the same idea but...if you do..then it would be for the best. It eliminates you from being a suspect, even though we are all under that light right now."

"He trusted us with his secret, it wouldn't be right if I didn't return the favor." Leon said.

"Same here, I'll share mine with him too." Makoto said.

"Agreed, He said he would be at the pool correct?" Celeste asked.

"Yeah, we haven't gone for a swim yet. Oh, does that mean you are going to swim with us Celeste?" Sayaka asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I might." she said.

"Come on Celeste, you don't have to swim or anything, floating his fine too." Makoto said.

"Swimming is actually a very good form of exercise." Mikan added, a firm yet cute tone in her voice.

"I agree with Nurse girl, we all need to stay fit if we wanna get outta here." Leon said, wrapping his arms around both Makoto and Mikan. The two shared a look, looking away right after, their cheeks tinged pink. Celeste took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling.

"Very well. I shall join you for a swim...and for the record my hair isn't fake. It just takes a long time to get it like this, which is why I don't take it down often." she said.

"Even when you sleep?" Sayaka asked, tilting her head.

"Yes, I actually have a special night cap that I wear to keep them styled like this for long periods of time." she said.

"Do you wash it?" Leon asked.

"Of course, I make sure not to pull it out of its curls...though it is very very challenging. Every time I wash it is a _gamble."_ she said.

"Heh, gambler pun." Makoto muttered under his breath, earning a giggle from Mikan.

"Whatever, Sayaka why don't you accompany Mikan and Celeste up to the second floor storage room? Pick them out some nice swimsuits." Leon said.

"They're all the same though." She said.

"Worry not, there's something me and Makoto here need to discuss. We'll meet ya at the pool." he said.

"Alright I guess. I suppose it's some sort of male bonding for them." Sayaka said, heading toward the door.

"Oh...I better change my bandages to some waterproof ones...I wouldn't want these to fall apart on me." Mikan said, picking at her bandages.

"Why is it you wear those again?" Celeste asked, curiosity written on her face.

"I-I uh...n-no r-reason." the nurse replied, clamming up a bit.

The conversation died down since the two boys were out of earshot. Once gone, Leon turned to Makoto a wide grin on his face.

"Makoto my dude, you want to come with me to the classroom on the second floor?"

"Uh...why?" the brunette asked.

"Heh, I wanted to show you something. Something that me and Yuno came up with, it's really sweet."

"I can only imagine." the Ultimate Lucky Student said, not at all looking forward to what he was going to see.

xxx

Yuno sat at the bleachers inside the pool room. He had already changed back into his swimsuit and had been waiting for Sayaka to show up. He figured he'd give them time to digest what he had decided to share with them. It was on a whim, but he definitely needed to do it, the more people he shared it with the better, that way Monokuma didn't have the upper hand on him.

He was pretty sure the mole being among them story was bullshit, but with this kind of game, he couldn't take chances. He tried to narrow down the possible suspects, but he couldn't get a definite answer. Byakuya couldn't be it, even though he was arrogant, he wouldn't sell himself to the mastermind, unless his conglomerate was threatened. He couldn't really see Toko doing the same, especially if Byakuya wasn't involved.

He knew none of his close friends would to that either, he trusted them after all. Nick didn't seem like the type, even if he was a bit...none to bright during certain situations. Neither Sakura nor Hina would stoop down to it either, they were to nice in his opinion. Chihiro definitely wasn't the mole, she didn't seem like the person who would go around doing something like that, that only left Bryce, the only possible suspect.

"Bryce being the mole is too easy, especially after everything that happened. His attitude toward those comments makes me think he's telling the truth, though with how he acts, I can't say for sure. That only leaves the biggest enigma, Kyoko Kirigiri...she is also someone I am not able to discern. Could she be connected to this motive?" he asked himself.

"So you've narrowed the mole down to just two suspects, and of course it's the would be murderer and myself."

Yuno stiffened a bit, seeing Kyoko standing near the end of the pool. She was dressed in her normal attire, her piercing glance fully directed at him. He felt nervous under her gaze, and didn't know why. He somehow felt like all of his secrets were exposed to her. As if she knew how he himself seemed to operate, to think. It was a feeling that made his stomach swirl, and his heart heart. He felt a dull throb in his head, but he ignored it in favor of gawking, which seemed to annoy her even more.

"So now that you got caught red handed, you are just going to clam up and stare?" She asked.

"Listen, I didn't mean anything by what I said. I was just narrowing it all down, there might not even be a mole." he said.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure about you. After all, you could very well be the mole. Everyone knows who they are except for you and me." she said.

"I don't know what you are trying to get at but if you are insinuating that I am a mole, then I'm not. I wouldn't stoop down to that petty level, and I wouldn't dare sell out my friends. They're the only thing keeping me sane in this goddamn place. I can't even look around in peace without seeing Junko, or hearing her voice. So sorry if I fucking thought it was you." He snapped.

Kyoko's eyes widened a bit. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she and him had argued at some point before. Perhaps a dull memory that she had in the past. She let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

"You passed." she said.

"Excuse me?" he asked, entirely confused. He hadn't even realized he had been standing by this point.

"All of that just now, I was just testing you. I was trying to see if you really trusted your friends. You passed the test, meaning I can trust you as well, I would hope you'd put some trust in me as well." she said.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked curiously.

"As I said on the first day, you and I are one and the same. You don't remember anything about your past life."

"How did you figure that out?" he asked firmly.

"It was obvious...the way you always seemed to have self doubts, though you didn't voice them out, when someone asks you a question and you replied with, I don't remember most of it...it wasn't hard to deduce." she stated.

"Who are you really? What is your special talent?" He asked firmly, yet curiously. She rolled her eyes, her stoic look returning to her features.

"You should know the answer to that. Regardless, the reason I am truly here is to ask you a question. Does the name Nasumi Kuzuryuu mean anything to you?" she asked.

"Natsumi...Kuzuryuu?" he asked, he narrowed his eyes, staring at the pool, lost in thought.

He closed his eyes, losing himself in his memories. He didn't recall the name at all, even though he felt he should have. It sounded familiar. There was a haze in his memories that wasn't clearing, though he had at least recovered his memories of his little sister, there were still large chunks were still missing. He shook his head.

"Sorry, it sounds familiar but I can't recall an image." He said. She gave him a thoughtful nod.

"That's all I wanted to ask you." she said, turning heel and heading towards the door.

"Hey wait...you just ask me a question like that and leave me hanging?" he called out. She stopped by the door.

"You wish to see answers, but the only answers I can give you are questions. If you wish to find out yourself, then you have to search for them yourselves, I'm sure you are capable of handling that much on your own. This time around though, I'll give you a hint, there's an extra room on the first floor, one almost everyone seemed to ignore today." She said, and with that she ended up leaving the room.

He looked at her oddly, only to dig his hand into the pocket of his swim trunks. He pulled out his eHandbook, pressing the side button. After his name faded and it lead him to the home screen, he tapped the map icon and shifted it to the map of the first floor.

He noticed a room that was highlighted in blue, which meant that he hadn't personally explored it. It was a room in the foyer of the building, to the very right of the entrance doors, and was labeled security room. His eyes widened, he hadn't even recalled seeing a security room. He felt like an idiot, especially since he had checked out the Administrator's office. He sighed, shutting off his eHandbook.

"I can't believe this shit. Me of all people missed something like that? Maybe I wasn't focused enough...I haven't been sleeping well after all." he said, muttering to himself.

He looked at the ground, eyes narrowed. It wasn't like Kyoko to share information with people, unless she felt the need too. The fact that she had come to him of all people meant, she either trusted him because of their amnesia, or she found something that personally concerned him. What it could be, he didn't know. He looked at the clock that hung above the door, which read 7:39PM. He grit his teeth.

"It doesn't take that long to make it to the Admin office...I could go there and back before the others arrive, besides I'm pretty sure they are discussing my secret and getting the explanation from Sayaka. Yeah, I'll just go check it out real quick."

He walked off the bleachers, running off toward the changing rooms. He grabbed his shoes and socks, placing them on as quick as he could. He slipped on his shirt, not bothering to button them up. Nodding to himself, he ran out of the room and toward the doors, only to barrel into another person, sending the two onto the floor.

He groaned in pain and sat up, unknowingly grabbing something he probably shouldn't have. He looked up, seeing Leon, Makoto and Celeste standing before him, all dressed in their swimsuit. Makoto's eyes were wide in shock, while Celeste and Leon shared a look of amusement.

"Oh, hey guys. What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing much bro...why don't you ask Sayaka what's up?" Leon said, stifling his laughter.

He tilted his head and looked down, eyes widening when he saw he was literally straddling the idol. He also looked at where his hand was, eyes widening when he realized he was cupping her breast. Her cheeks were flushed a bright red and her face seemed to be one of shock.

"Oh...shit!" he said, letting go of the girl's breast. She rapidly sat up, pulling her fist back.

"You fucking pervert!" Sayaka cried out, punching him in the face.

Somehow he flew off of her, slamming into the back wall. He shook his head dazed, feeling a bit of blood dripping from his nose. He clutched his head tightly in his hand, the dull from before turning into a fullblown headache.

"Ow...okay, I deserve that." he muttered.

"Yes you do asshole. Jeez, anyone ever tell you to look where you are going?" Sayaka cried out, still on the ground.

She was hugging herself quite tightly. Celeste was still amused by all this, but was focused on tying her cap on so that her curls didn't get wet. Yuno stood up, wiping the blood off his face with his shirt. Luckily it was just a little nose bleed, though his jaw did hurt quite a bit.

"Why were you in a hurry anyway?" Makoto asked.

"Oh uh...I forgot my eHandbook in my room so I'm gonna go get it." he said.

"But you won't even need it. We're at the pool for a reason dude." Leon said.

"Uh sorry, I promise I'll be back real quick, I just want to check something out." he said, brushing past them all and heading into the hall, at a rather brisk pace, still clutching his nose.

"Hmm...he was clearly lying." Celeste said, tying one final loop in her cap.

"How can you tell?" Makoto asked. The gambler rose a brow in curiosity.

"Need I remind you what my title is dear Makoto?" she asked.

"Sorry...I forget your talent literally has to do with lying." he said.

"And cunning and manipulation, lest you forget that all. Whatever has him in a twist was rather important. He wouldn't have run off if it wasn't." she replied.

"I'm pretty sure he had a boner...I mean I would if I grabbed the breast of the Ultimate Pop Sensation." Leon said, earning a growl from Sayaka.

"Keep talking and I'll crush your dick with the heel of my boot." she said, he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever, let's wait for Nurse Girl to change and then hit the pool. I can't wait to get back into the water." Leon said.

"Tell me about it, we still didn't decide a winner to our duel." Makoto said.

"Clearly it was me."

"No...it was definitely me." the brunette countered.

Sayaka and Celeste sighed audibly, walking into the pool room. They would rather use their time to swim than listen to the two boys prattle on about their duel.

As Yuno made his way down into the first floor, he couldn't help but feel an increasing feeling in his mind. The pain was getting worse the closer he got to the Admin office. At one point, he stopped walking all together and swore he saw other people walking through the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy.

He saw guys and girls around his age, all dressed in the uniform, a brown blazer, with a button down shirt and matching brown pants or black skirts for the girls. They also included red ties for the guys and red bolo ties for the girls, of course there were some people completely out of uniform, or with different colored ties. Everywhere he looked, people stood or walked, talking amiably as if nothing was going on.

He saw two rather familiar looking people. A young man with bright pink hair, wearing a black baseball cap on his head. He was wearing a bright blue jumpsuit, his pant legs covered in motor oil. He was talking to a rather beautiful white haired girl, who was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, with a matching skirt and heels.

He noticed the tattoo on the girl's arm. He looked toward the windows, eyes widening a bit.

He swore he saw sunlight streaming in through the open windows but when he closed his eyes, all he was greeted with was the same hallway he had grown used to seeing. He had thought nothing of it and kept walking.

He entered the security office, practically slamming the door open, hell he didn't care at the moment. The security office seemed as simple as they came, there was a large window, covered with a shudder, and in front of it was a desk. That was most likely where the security guard stood, issuing passes to visitors or late slips to the students that didn't live on the campus.

He saw another desk, which had a nameplate on it with the name, Head Security Guard. Behind that desk was a large file cabinet. He moved toward it, focusing solely on that. He also noticed the room was lacking a security camera. Reaching the cabinet, he opened the drawer, seeing almost nothing inside it. The only things inside it were empty files. He slammed it closed and moved onto the next drawer.

This one was drastically different, several files sat in this one, all black and having the crest of the academy printed on it in gold. He looked at them for a few seconds, before coming to one that was labeled Class 79. He pulled it out and opened it, seeing several papers inside it. He walked over to the desk behind him and pulled the chair out, taking a seat on it. He placed the file on it, and pulled out a few papers.

"What are these? They're not student registries so...wait...security gives out the late slips, so maybe..."

He flipped through a few papers, while a few of them had been unimportant, he did find a few late slips written out. The one that stood out the most was the one that bore the name Kyoko had shared with him.

"Natsumi Kuzuryuu...she was late to school which of course isn't specified. She's registered as a freshman in class 79. There's also an excused note." he muttered, pulling it out.

" _Dear Headmaster *** ********, My Daughter was late this morning due to some family issues. My apologies before hand, it will not happen again."_

"Of course it doesn't say who the parent or guardian is." he muttered dryly.

He placed the paper back and turned the page, finding something else. It was a picture, or at least he thought it was. He grabbed it and turned it over, eyes widened in shock.

In the picture, he was sitting back against the wall in a classroom, he didn't know which one it was exactly, but he saw the large windows were missing their metal plating, and some birds were even visible flying around. He was wearing the academy's uniform, though he lacked it's blazer. His decorative pin was pined to the center of his tie, and glittered brightly in the sunlight.

Next to him sat another girl, which seemed to be a year or so younger than him, and had long blonde hair that reached past her shoulders. She had a cute face, and piercing blue eyes. She was wearing a short sleeved white shirt, with a breast pocket, which had Hope's Peak Academy's crest in it, her collar was folded down and she was wearing a red bow tie around her neck.

She was wearing a black skirt, with matching black stockings and formal shoes. He noticed she had a few freckles on her face, and even had a beauty mark under her lower lip. She was confidently flipping off the camera, a pissed off look on her face, though she was also blushing quite a bit.

The thing that shocked him even more was the fact that Sayaka was sitting next to him, a bright smile on her face, looking at the camera endearingly. She was wearing matching uniform to the blonde girl, except she was wearing a pink tie rather than the normal red bow tie. She was holding her hand up in a peace sign when the picture was taken. Her other hand was holding his own.

The oddest thing about this picture was that it seemed legitimate. He stared at it for the longest time and didn't seem to remember anything. He had closed his eyes and lost himself in thought but for the life of him he didn't recall it ever being taken. It seemed professionally taken too, as if a Photographer had taken it.

He conscientiously thought about an Ultimate Photographer being on campus at the time but nothing came to mind. He grit his teeth, cursing his amnesia. He and Kyoko had perhaps stumbled onto something that could very well tell them what was going on, but he couldn't figure anything out. The dull throb of a headache had finally diminished from his mind, though he did feel a bit dizzy.

He stuffed all of the papers back into the file and slammed the drawer closed, keen on keeping it that way. He slipped the picture into his shirt pocket, and stood up from the chair. He was going to ask Sayaka about it when he had the chance, maybe she recognized the girl in the photo. Before he left though, he decided to check the desk he had sat at.

The top drawers were empty, but the bottom one seemed to hold something important, as it was locked. He tried it a few times, but the lock held true. Getting into it wouldn't be easy. He sighed and decided to leave, pondering on what the picture could mean.

"There is no way I could have forgotten something like that, I don't remember getting any head injuries that would cause me amnesia to this degree. Something is going on in this academy, and I have to find out what it is. Someone is screwing with my fucking mind, and when I find out who it is, they are going to pay." he said firmly, making his way up the stairs. Bryce, who was just walking out of the dormitories, ended up overhearing him, a smirk on his face.

"Screwing with his mind eh? So, that bastard has amnesia eh? That makes him a likely candidate to be the mole. Sadly even if he was I can't expose him, that wouldn't bode well for me." he muttered to himself. He looked back to the dorms, seeing Chihiro looking both ways before entering her room. His eyes narrowed a bit.

" _Okay, now that is definitely curious. What is she doing skulking around? Could she perhaps be the mole? Whatever the case, I have investigating to do. Maybe the second floor has a weakness none of us know about. Even if it does, I'm not sharing it with anyone."_

It had been extremely hard, but Chihiro Fujisaki wasn't known as the Ultimate Programmer for nothing. She had been able to adapt a charger for the laptop by using her old computer charger and the cord from an extra toaster she had found in the first floor storage room. Once she had gotten the computer to turn on, she had quickly dived into it's hard drive to see if she was able to find any information that could tell her of where she was.

Sadly, it was heavily encrypted making it really hard for her to decode. She had regretfully had to abandon her original endeavor of searching for information in favor of creating something new. She had thought hard about how to help her friends and decided that creating a fully functional Artificial Intelligence would be sufficient. She had been working on this all day, the tool kit she had been given lay next to her, it's tools strewn about.

When Monokuma had revealed the fact that one of them was a mole and then given them information that the mole had given him, she had been startled. The information on that sheet of paper was actually her gender.

Growing up, Chihiro was seen as someone who was frail. She started doing things that people wouldn't consider boys should do. So, since she couldn't do the things boys could so, she decided to be a girl instead. Yes, Chihiro Fujisaki was indeed a male, which was why she had been given a tool kit in the first place, but that secret was something she had been guarding with her life ever since she was younger.

She had been willing to share it with her friends, in order to cease the tensions that Monokuma had created with this new motive, but she soon realized how dangerous that was. Revealing a secret like that, how was she going to do it?

She would tell them all eventually, but for now she was going to help them with this. By creating an AI, she could search the data that was hidden on this laptop, and if she ever got a chance, she would also be able to hook it up to the school's network. That was her endgame, once her _Alter_ _Ego_ was within the school system, every door would be cracked open, and nothing would be hidden from them. The question of course was, would it be possible?

Of course, being the Ultimate Programmer meant it was possible to create a fully functional AI. That was only phase one, getting it into the school network was another game entirely. In her own explorations, she hadn't found a single Ethernet port anywhere. It was as if they had all been removed. Even in the A/V room, the system was integrated and no such ports existed. If she found one, she didn't have an Ethernet cord on her to use. Regardless, she was going to continue her work, for however long it took.

"Don't worry, soon enough we'll all be out of here." She said with a small smile.

She could only hope her father was faring better than she was. She was still shocked to see he had been captured, but with his technical no how, he was definitely capable of escaping wherever he was. She had to make it, at least so she could see him again. However, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder who the Mole was? And how he or she had been able to gather that precious information about her.

If they were a hacker, of course that would explain it. But even then, it was practically hard to figure something out like that, especially because she had hidden it quite well, up until she enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy. Perhaps their mastermind knew complex programming, thus making it easy to expose them all, that would also mean there was no mole, but then...what was the purpose of the motive?

She shook those thoughts out of her mind, focusing on the screen before her, if she worked diligently through the night, she would be able to have _Alter_ _Ego_ up and running the next morning. She however wasn't aware of the fact that the camera in her room as pointing directly at her.


	8. Chapter 2 Act 3: United We Stand

**A/N: Hello again everyone. This is the Celestial Sky Dragon bringing you a late night update. I happen to the the Super Highschool Level Night Owl, seeing as I'm awake at night and roost during the day, but regardless, I couldn't help myself so you all get a double post. There is going to be a lot of information in this new act, and I hope I did it justice. It's also going to be the last Happish chapter before the Deadly Life acts kick in. Gotta love that investigating!**

 **Anyway, shout out to everyone who's reading this and liking it so far. I bet you all have questions about Koyomi Kuzuryuu the Ultimate Little Sister, but of course those will be answered in due time. This might also be the last post I do, at least until the new episode of Danganonpa Future Arc. If you haven't seen it yet, then please do, it's a must see IMO.**

 **Update: 6/27/17 Chapter 2 Act 3 has been re edited, and contains various grammar fixes, there are some added events I think...**

Danganronpa

The High School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 2

Act 3

United We Stand

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

As Yuno walked back into the pool room, he had to effectively dodge a water balloon that was thrown at the entrance for some reason or another. Luckily, his clothes were safely in the locker he had chosen, so the picture he had found wasn't at any risk. But he had to wonder where his friends even found the balloons. He noticed it had been Leon who threw it, aiming for Makoto who had ducked under the water to dodge it. Sayaka and Mikan were by the pool, talking to each other.

The idol was facing away from him, giving him a good view of her butt, though he tried not to look at it. He noticed Mikan also had a nice figure, the swimsuit she had chosen seemed to be a little tight on her, but she didn't seem to notice it. Her long hair, which she had confessed to have had cut at odd angles, seemed to stick to her, probably due to her being soaking wet. She was wearing some water proof bandages, and fidgeted a bit every few seconds, as she placed her hand on them as if to make sure they were still there.

Celeste was also in the pool, walking around awkwardly, the tips of her hair caps barely touching the water. As he walked though, he had taken a water balloon to the face, forcing him to stop. Leon let out a loud laugh, pointing at him.

"Dude, the look on your face." he said.

"You my friend are an asshole." He deadpanned, wiping the water off his face.

"Ha, since you got hit, that means you have to take the high dive." Makoto said, pointing to the high diving board at the other end of the pool. Yuno looked up at it, straining his neck a bit.

"Hell no! I don't have a death wish." he said.

"The rules clearly state that you have to take the high dive. We all agreed." Leon said.

"I didn't." he said, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"It was unanimous." he added.

"Bullshit." the archer cried out.

"Oh come on Yuno, just take the high dive. It's not that bad." Sayaka said.

"You say that because you don't have to jump." He said firmly.

"Just once dude? Don't be a dick." Leon said.

"Ugh...fine, but If I do take the high dive, Celeste has to take her caps off." he said, glancing at the gambler who was still carefully moving around. The water had barely hit her chest when she stopped, glaring at the purple haired teen.

"Why would I agree to that?" she asked.

"Because it's a _gamble_ you can't refuse." he said. She grumbled under her breath and looked at him, a frown on her face.

"Very well."

"That's the spirit Celeste." Sayaka cheered, as the archer made his way toward the high dive.

He started climbing the cement stairs that lead all the way up to the diving board. This had been literally the highest up he had been, in his entire life, at least he thought. Finally, he got to the very top, and walked over to the diving board. The thing felt flimsy under his weight, as if it would snap from under him at any given moment. He took a deep breath, looking at the water below him.

"Holy shit this is high." he muttered under his breath.

"Come on, do it. No balls." Leon called out, only to get smacked by Makoto who was next to him.

"Do a front flip!" Sayaka cried out.

Yuno closed his eyes, almost slipping into his Archer's Focus, as he liked to call it. His eyes snapped open a second later and he jumped off the board, doing a front flip before slamming into the water. Once under water, he opened his eyes, happy to see that he was alive. He swam up to the surface, taking a breath of air, he focused on staying afloat after that.

"Hey, it's not so bad." he said with a chuckle.

"Well, he kept up his half of the deal Celeste, take off the caps." Makoto said.

"Woo, take them off." Leon chanted.

The gambler sighed and shook her head, undoing the laces that held the caps safely over her hair. She set them on the side of the pool, letting the tips of her hair slightly touch the water.

"Happy?" she cried out, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Quite, my dear lady." Yuno said, smiling at her. He continued swimming up to the edge of the pool, he pulled himself out, sitting on the side, while leaving his feet in the water.

"Hmm, well it is good that you arrived earlier than we thought you would. I was actually hoping to talk to everyone here, since you've all been so kind to let me stay within this circle of friends." Celeste said, looking at everyone.

"Why wouldn't we? You aren't perfect, but none of us are really." Makoto said, giving her a shrug.

"I'll ignore that last comment. Regardless, as you all know, the motive given to us this time around is quite grim. The thought of there actually being a mole within us never fully occurred to me. It was actually a passing thought, but I disregarded it entirely, at least until the first class trial. It started becoming a nagging feeling until just this morning." she said.

"When your suspicions were confirmed right?" Sayaka said, sitting down next to Yuno.

Mikan decided to hop in the pool, standing next to Leon and Makoto, who were still slightly splashing each other.

"Correct dear Sayaka. After the immense trust that Yuno has bestowed upon us, by revealing his information no less, I have decided to share with you my own information. The origins of Celestia Ludenburg, and my dream." she said, taking a deep breath.

"It all started when I was younger. I was a frail young girl, not particularly good at anything in particular. My parents seemed rather disinterested in me, especially my apparent love over the occult and Gothic fashion. They found me as odd, as they barely paid attention to me, other than to take proper care of me as good parents should.

They were good to me, at least. I started developing my own style, and my own signature. However, I used to let my emotions get the better of me, quite a lot. I was ill tempered, quick to anger and very uncouth as a child. That lead me to stay alone for most of my life. It was then that I discovered a worn deck of cards, and I started taking interest in card games.

At the age of twelve, was when I first started gambling. I had been learning quite a bit, and I wished to try my skills out. I regretfully lost, but it was my first game, I made it seem like I was testing the waters. With nothing left to bid, I ended up bidding myself instead of money. The man I was playing seemed to like that idea, and tried his best to out do me, sadly for him I came out the victor, and left him without a penny to his name. It was then that I promised to myself never to bet my life or my body in any game.

Realizing it was an impulse decision, I started crafting a new image, one that was the perfect gambler. I learned the in's and out's of every game imaginable, gambling became a life style, and over time, my persona changed. I became a cunning opponent, capable to read even the toughest of poker faces, I could discern a lie from the truth right before it was even said.

I became an excellent manipulator, able to turn the tides of each game I was in into my favor, even if it was losing. I also developed a silver tongue, capable to life to even the Prime Minister and get away with it. This was the persona I had crafted, Celestia Ludenburg.

Over time, I started maturing, and I realized I didn't have anything I wanted to achieve, no goals, no dreams. I was an excellent gambler, I could out bit anyone when it came to poker, and yet I hadn't decided on anything material. I had since then left my own home, finding it not worthy of my presence. I then decided I would work toward a beautiful dream, a dream of one day owning a large European Castle. It would come complete with an army of Vampire butlers to serve me at any waking moment. I longed for it, and I was close to attaining it at one point, however I had lost for the second time in my life, and ended penniless and without house and home. It was then that I was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy, even though I had lost, they still saw potential in me. They gave me the title of Ultimate Gambler, and I was successfully enrolled in this academy." She said.

Her friends looked at her curiously, most lost in confusion while others looked at her as if she had grown a third eye. She let out a dainty giggle, sweeping a few of her bangs out of her eyes.

"Yes, my dream is certainly weird, I think it's beautiful. Owning a castle, having so many handsome vampire butlers to serve me, it's a dream that I've had for years now. Perhaps even subconsciously. Being trapped in this academy has fueled me into doubling my efforts, I will not fall for Monokuma's game, and I will get out of here. My castle is waiting for me, I know it." she said firmly.

"Uh...this is the information that the mole leaked to Monokuma about you? Not that it doesn't sound...rad...but I think it's a rather stupid thing to steal from you. How would they even know this unless they talked to you?" Leon asked.

"I considered this myself, but it seems our foe is one pace ahead of us. We can still turn this chess game around, as long as we have enough pieces to use. A graceful queen such as myself will not be reduced to a lowly pawn." she said angrily.

"So, the information he stole from you wasn't this? Then what was it?" Sayaka asked.

"It was her Identity." Yuno said, surprising them all.

"Her...identity?" Mikan asked curiously. He gave her a nod.

"Not the Identity of _Celestia_ _Ludenburg..._ that's who she is now, who we are talking about, the identity the mole stole from her was her real one, the one of that frail little girl she's worked so hard to hide. Her real identity, her true name." Yuno said. Celeste smirked, not bothering to hide it this time.

"Very good, your deduction skills are improving exponentially dear Yuno. He is indeed correct, the thing the mole stole from me is my name." she said.

"Wow, I didn't even consider that. How did you arrive to at that?" Makoto asked.

"Did you seriously believe her name was Celestia Ludenburg? You can clearly tell she's not German." He said, crossing his arms.

"Well...true but...ah nevermind." Makoto said, sinking down until the water had covered his mouth. He then started blowing bubbles, which made Sayaka giggle.

"So uh...if you d-don't mind sharing. What is your r-real name?" Mikan asked, looking at the gambler. She sighed, twirling a strand of her hair on her finger.

"Taeko Yasuhiro." she said, going as far as dropping her accent, surprising everyone.

"That's a nice name...I don't get why you wanted to change it." Leon said, a smile on his face.

"Because...Taeko Yasuhiro is an immature little girl. A little girl who has weird tastes, she's the odd man out, the one no one talks to, the one who always has a liking for the occult. She's the little girl who relies on her emotions, and allows them to weaken her." She said firmly, everyone had gotten so used to her accent, that it was odd hearing her without it.

"Emotions don't make you weak." Yuno said firmly.

He looked at the gambler, his face a bit angry. She looked back at him, brow raised though he could see she was a bit mad.

"Of course they do. Bad thing's happen when you let emotions rule you, just look at where we are...a school where the headmaster loves seeing our misery and despair. Two emotions I could do without." She said.

"While it's true that there are some people who love feeling those emotions, not everyone is like that. If you don't rely on emotions, how can you feel happiness. If you fulfilled your dream, would you be happy? Or would you just stand in the middle of your castle foyer, wondering what to do next?" he asked.

"Well...I.."

"What about the sadness of losing something or someone precious to you? The sadness of a good story getting a bad end? What about anger? When things don't happen the way you want? Sympathy? Hell, what about Love? Without love, what's the point of being alive?" he asked. Everyone found it a bit odd to hear him being so passionate about something, especially something like this.

"He's right Celeste...you have to let yourself feel emotions, or else you'll just die bitter and regretful. By living a happy and rewarding life, you'll have a hopeful future. Maybe it was wrong to cut Taeko Yasuhiro out of your life, because you clearly need her, now of all times.

Celestia Ludenburg was the person who you made when no one understood you, but understand that you are now surrounded by friends, and trustworthy people. You can let her out more often. I think she would in fact be very happy if you did." Sayaka said. Celeste closed her eyes, letting out a dry chuckle.

"Perhaps...you are right. It's been so long since I was actually _Taeko_ that...I should probably take it slow." she said.

"Of course, we'll keep calling you Celeste if you want, until you are comfortable enough to be called by your real name." Makoto said, getting an agreeing nod from Leon and Mikan.

"I'd like that." she said.

"Heh, well since Celeste shared her secrets with us, I might as well share mine too. Mine isn't as lucrative as Celeste's...it's actually really stupid and simple. Basically, I came to this academy with the title of Ultimate Baseball Star, even though I never really liked the sport. Hell, I didn't even go to practice, it was something I was just good at. I decided instead to switch my title to Ultimate Musician. I enjoy music more than baseball. I heard this really good rock band, forget the name of them actually...anyway, I wanted to buy all of their albums, but I didn't have any money, and I wasn't on a national baseball team so...I sort of...illegally downloaded music onto my MP3 player at a Game cafe computer."

"Seriously?" Makoto said.

"Leon! That's not something you should ever do. Idol's and singers spend a lot of time and effort to sing and record music. If people steal them, then that would be like stealing a part of us. You are supposed to enjoy music, not steal it." Sayaka said, though she was scolding him, though it seemed as if she had taken it a bit personal.

"How many did you steal exactly?" Yuno asked.

"Oh I dunno, somewhere around...598 maybe?" he said absentmindedly.

"Dude...if you get caught you are definitely spending some time behind bars, that is like _waaaaay_ illegal." Makoto said.

"I know...thankfully no one ever caught on, so I was planning on paying all that money back when I had enough. If I didn't make it as a musician, I always had my baseball career to fall back on. I just hate how they make me shave my head." he said, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Man, you guys are sharing some heavy stuff, I just wet my bed until I was in fifth grade." Makoto admitted.

Sayaka and Celeste giggled, while Leon full on laughed. Mikan glared at them, placing her hands at her hips.

"It's not nice to laugh at people you know. Wetting the bed isn't funny either, he most likely had a really serious medical or mental condition!" she said.

"Whoa...chillax nurse girl, it's all in good fun." Leon said, splashing her face. She eeped at the sudden cold of the water, and then glared at Leon, her piercing violet eyes staring right into his blue ones. Sayaka chuckled dryly, biting her lip as she prepared herself for her own story.

"Um...well I suppose it's my turn to share my information, though it's actually more of an embarrassing moment. I do admit, I've done some...less than favorable things to keep my status as an idol...things I regret." she said.

"You didn't sleep your way to the top right?" Leon asked. Her eyes widened and Yuno slapped his forehead.

"Dude, you want her to cut your dick off?" he said.

"Sorry, I heard rumors online. I know she's not the type, but I still had to ask." He said.

"No, Leon I didn't sleep my way to the top. I wouldn't dare trade my virginity for something like that. I work hard on my music...anyway...there was this one time when I was doing a concert, up in Hokkaido. I was actually in the middle of a costume change, and the stage hand pretty much ushered me and the rest of the girls on stage before we were done changing. While my sister and the other girls were perfectly dressed, I didn't realize that...one of the girls wasn't covered." She said, glancing at her chest.

"You had a nip slip?" Makoto asked, making the blue haired idol blush cherry red.

"More than a nip slip, for a straight minute I just stood there, smiling while my sister was talking. That's when one of the managers pointed at my chest and I looked down. You can totally tell what happened afterwards..total mental breakdown. I turned around to cover myself up, but it was too late. Luckily, my manager was awesome and was able to confiscate the phones of everyone there, and they wiped any video evidence, that however didn't prevent people from posting the pictures prematurely. We covered it up, but there's still out there."

"Follow me on Twitter for more of Sayaka Maizono's titty pics." Leon said, earning a large splash to the face from the girl.

"Don't be mean to me!"

"I'm sorry Sayaka but that's just really funny. I can imagine all the fanboy's who would literally tear each other apart just for one titty pic." Leon said. She huffed, looking away from the spiky haired teen.

"I feel like she might murder you in your sleep Leon. Keep talking and it might happen." Yuno said, shaking his head.

"Push my buttons and I'll consider it too." the idol said, agreeing with Yuno wholeheartedly. Leon cringed.

"Jeez, sorry."

"Better, but you are right. My fan base can get a bit overbearing. They like to call themselves Sayakers. It's really...odd...sometimes when I'm online and people know it's me, they ask me really dumb questions, just to test me, and when they find out it's me, they beg me to kiss them, or marry them, or meet their parents. It's really gross." she said.

"Meet their parents?" Makoto asked.

"Some kid in Britain." she said with a shrug.

"Well, we've gone around the circle and shared everything, the last one to go is you Mikan." Yuno said.

"Oh um...w-well." the nurse began, stuttering a bit. She shook in place, growing really nervous.

"Hey, Mikan you don't have to share if you don't want to. We're doing it just so everyone knows we're not the mole. I know you aren't the mole either, but if you don't feel comfortable." Makoto said gently. She looked up at him, giving him a warm small.

"No...it's okay." she said, subconsciously tugging at the bandage on her hand.

"Does it...have to do with that bandage you always wear?" Yuno asked.

"Yes. You see, I am a very weak person, and because of that, people take advantage of me. They usually draw on my face with marker, put out cigarettes on my shoulder blades, punch me, and even cut my hair." she said, grabbing a strand of uneven hair.

"Oh my god." Sayaka cried out, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Did you tell your parents about this?" Leon asked.

"My father is away somewhere else. I'm convinced he's never coming back, my mother doesn't care whether I live or die. She...also hits me...and her boyfriends usually hit me too, sometimes they make me do things. Thankfully if they get out of line, mother usually tells them off. Last time her boyfriend made me take my clothes off, she beat him with a baseball bat. Sometimes, the neighborhood kids would also hit me, I would always be injured, so I took care of myself until I got good at it." she said.

"Oh sweetie...how can people be so cruel?" Celeste said, quite shocked at what she was hearing.

Yuno's face was one of anger, and his hand had balled into a tight fist, knuckles turning white. Makoto seemed like he wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how to go about it.

"I became a nurse so I could help those in need. Sick people can't take care of themselves, their powerless, so I want to help them get better. I want to treat them nicely, because they'll listen to what I say. But even when I was doing something nice, people were mean to me, really mean. In the end well...I just couldn't take it. This is a reminder of what I did to myself, something that I hide because I'm not strong enough to see it." she said, holding her wrapped arm up.

Yuno, lowered himself into the water, walking over to where the nervous nurse stood. She looked away as he took her arm.

"Yuno, maybe you shouldn't." Makoto said.

"No...it's okay, you all shared after all." she said.

He took the water proof tape off the bandage, handing it to Leon. He then started rolling off the bandage, slowly exposing her covered skin. He noticed it start changing color, while her complexion was light, he noticed it start turning slightly red, as if it was a burn mark of sorts. She had a large burn scar on top of her arm, up to the wrist, which seemed rather nasty.

After he had taken the bandage off, she looked away, flipping arm so that they could see. Right at the wrist, was a scar, which seemed rather deep, though it was healed, the cut was still visible. What Yuno had trouble with was the larger scar that connected to the one on her wrist, and ran down her forearm down to her elbow. The burn marks were also visible on her forearm, but were less noticeable than they were on the other side of her arm. He also noticed several other slashes on her arm, which seemed rather recent, but all of them had since then healed. He looked at her, tears brimming his eyes.

"You...tried killing yourself?" he asked. She gave him a nod, looking down at the water.

"Blade 18 is used to make deep incisions during surgeries. Blade 23 is used for long cuts...I just figured, hell no one would miss me, so I just wanted to end it. I stole those two blades and ended up stashing them in my pocket after I left my internship at the hospital. I was only going to use them if my day was turned into a living hell. Lo and behold, someone thought it was a great idea to make my shitty day worse by throwing acid at me.

It also got on my left leg, and on my right knee. It burned...oh how it burned, it burned worse than any cigarette ever did, luckily, there was a hose nearby and I was able to wash it all off, but not before the horrible stuff started to scar my skin. I didn't even see who it was that did it. I looked up at the sky, and told the world that it had finally won, so I took out those two blades and I cut myself deep, and long, and as I was about to do the same to my other arm, a random passerby stopped me, and called an ambulance." She stopped, tears falling from her eyes at the memories of all the pain. Sayaka hugged her tightly.

"Hey, you don't have to continue this alright? We know more than enough."

"No no, it's fine...I got lucky, apparently they were only second degree burns, and I was able to take off all the acid before it did any real harm. I was hospitalized for months until it all finally healed. I needed several skin graft surgeries just to make it look better, though I only had one on my leg, with skin from a donor. I decided to not even bother with my arm." she said. Yuno wrapped his arms around the poor girl, hugging her tightly.

"I can't believe someone could do this to you. You didn't deserve this, none of us deserve this. I know why it took you so long to get help, but I'm glad it finally happened. You aren't weak either, you held something like this from us, and were confidant enough to share it, that takes balls, and you girl certainly have them. Consider yourself strong...and never let people judge you. If someone bothers you again, tell me who it is, I'll come to beat them up." he said firmly, letting go of the nurse who had broken into tears.

"If baseball told me anything, it's that I can swing a bat pretty hard. I'm sure I can swing it hard enough to shatter a person's knee caps." Leon said.

"Don't worry Mikan, we won't let anyone hurt you." Makoto said.

"Thank you...I'm happy you are all my friends." she said, wiping her tears away.

"Guys, we only have an hour and a half left, we haven't even had any fun yet. Let's hurry up and splash around before it's time for curfew." Sayaka said, lowering herself into the pool.

"You two never did have that race." Makoto said, looking at the archer and the idol.

"Oh yeah, come on, let's have that now, let's see who's the fastest swimmer." Yuno said.

"I'll have to decline, as I said before I never really bothered learning how to swim." Celeste said.

"Like I said, that's bullshit, come on, I'll teach you." he said, taking her hand, leading her toward the deeper part of the pool.

"Alright I suppose, perhaps I can use this skill for something else." She said, her signature smile gracing her lips.

"I can be the judge for your race, just let me rewrap my arm and we can start." Mikan said happily, taking the bandages back.

"I'll help you, since I took them off." he said.,

"No worries, I've done this millions of times already, just go find your spots." she said with a smile.

Sayaka and Yuno shrugged and decided to swim to the other side of the pool. Makoto was going to join them but he stopped in front of Mikan, who gave him a weird look. She blushed a bit, biting her lower lip.

"Um...is something wrong Makoto?" she asked.

"Nothing no...It's just...I wanted to say that if you ever need anything, I'm always here for you. Oh and um I...think your really cute." he said, quickly diving under water to avoid any other conversation.

Mikan's blush worsened, her whole face going red. She smiled brightly, since it had been the first time someone actually called her cute. She was happy to finally have real friends.

 _ **Xxx**_

Junko was not happy. When she had initiated the new motive, she had expected the students to be at each others throats, but seeing the merry group at the pool was really pissing her off. Instead of doubting each other, they had banded together and shared their secrets. Perhaps she had been too vague, she should have placed a rule preventing information sharing until the mole was found. She was seething, but it was a brand of despair she hadn't felt yet, and the possibilities were endless.

"They're becoming closer through their trust. But when that trust gets demolished and replaced with despair, it will all go according to plan." she said, her teacher persona taking over for the time being.

Her eyes drifted back to the other cameras. Byakuya had yet to leave the library, and was sitting alone reading some of the case files that had been left in the library. Nick was busy washing the dishes in the kitchen after dinner, and Hina and Sakura were together having their tea in the cafeteria.

She kept her eyes peeled for her sister Mukuro as she attempted to retrieve her eHandbook, though she was failing miserably. Her eyes then drifted back to the main hall of Hope's Peak Academy, the camera caught someone coming out of the security office. She zoomed in, seeing it had been Bryce, and he was placing what looked like a gun behind his back.

"Oh shit. I forgot there was a gun in that office...oh well, looks like he'll be having some fun with that little toy." She said, leaning back in her seat.

The chances of him planning or even committing murder were slim, seeing as he had left himself exposed from the Class Trial. His true nature had been revealed to them and he was taking precautions. That's why he had been skulking around, getting information on everyone, becoming a mole in the true sense of the word, and yet he had no association to Monokuma at all. Perhaps after this motive was done, she could employ him.

It wasn't hard to pull his strings anyway.

A sudden alarm started ringing, and she grit her teeth, turning around to face one of the other monitors she had on display. While the screens before her depicted the ongoing game within the academy, the one behind her depicted everything from the camera's placed around campus. It seemed like someone had tripped her sensors. She clicked on the camera that had caught the intruders and zoomed in, eyes widening.

"Remnants of Hope, those bastards are at it again." She said with a frown.

She directed the camera to the miniature army of Future Foundation members, trying to see if she could spot anyone notable. Her wishes we're granted when she saw the Ultimate Doomsday Prepper among them, carrying high grade weapons. She tsked, shaking her head.

"Leave it to Ezekiel to be overly prepared. Well, I might as well activate the mine field, it's a good thing the Ultimate Bomb Specialist joined the cause after I blew up her family." she said with a grin, pressing another button.

Several beeps were heard, and the mine field became active. On screen she saw Ezekiel stop, pointing at the ground. He looked back at the camera, his brown eyes burning with anger. He didn't even look like the student she once new, he had always dressed overly casual, with just a plain shirt and jeans as his attire, sometimes some new shoes, but never anything fancy, seeing him in a suit, hell it made her giggle.

The despair of seeing him act unlike himself was enough of a driving force. She pressed another button, sending out a few armed Attack Monokumas. The suited group stiffened when they saw the black and white bears and instantly opened fire, most likely shouting orders to retreat.

"I honestly need to keep an eye on these guys, hmm...I'm sure Gundam is still in town, it would make it even better if he ran into his little brother. I shall have Mukuro issue him some orders later on. Good thing Daisuke isn't leading them anymore, I'm sure that wouldn't have been fun." she said, spinning around to face the indoor cameras.

"If only they knew the stuff that was going on outside, they would be begging me to let them stay here forever...hello what is this?" she said, zooming in on the camera that depicted the second floor hallway. She saw Kyoko Kirigiri, looking around before ducking into the boys bathroom. She grit her teeth in anger.

"Could it be that, she already found it? Cleaver girl...your father was certainly right about you. Once a snoop always a snoop, no matter, even if she did find it, she wouldn't necessarily find any good information there. All the yearbooks have been modified and the registry forms were locked in the headmaster's office. Nothing to worry about now."

She reached for a can of Blue Ram, she would definitely need it in order to see who would stoop down to murder. She knew the six crusaders weren't going to do anything hasty, but the rest of the class was open for debate, and she wanted to see who would succumb to the paranoia first.

 _ **Xxx**_

To say that Byakuya Togami was enlightened was an understatement. He had been lucky to discover all of these old police files in the back of the library, each containing valuable information, but what he hadn't been counting on was the fact that he found the file of one of the most popular Serial Killers of his time, one who was within the academy as he sat there reading.

The images of each murder were etched in his mind and threatened never to leave it. All of them, had been attractive young men, and had been stalked for weeks prior to the violent acts, and all of them would be skewered by a pair of scissors. Yes, the Murder case of Genocide Jack was definitely an interesting yet morbid read.

But he wasn't the esteemed Byakuya Togami for nothing. He could use this information in his favor to expose the would be serial killer, in order to stop her from causing himself harm. After all, he fit her description to a T and he didn't want to be the next victim in Monokuma's little game.

Alas it wasn't as simple as stabbing someone with some scissors and calling it a day, it would take him days, and a proper vessel in order for him to set it all up just right.

However much this was troubling him, the real thing that was becoming troublesome was the information the mole had leaked to his captor. He was still processing it all, trying to figure out who it was and how they got that information. Everyone knew that the Togami family had more than one heir at the time, and only the most well rounded of them was able to keep the name in the end, but he wasn't expecting someone to keep tabs on him.

Yes, the information the mole had leaked were checks and donations written out to the siblings that had lost the right to bear the Togami name. Most of them were on the streets or living in poverty, he only knew of one of his sister's who was still holding a decent accounting job.

None of his siblings kept in contact with him, none but her. Even if she had been kicked out of the family, little Musashi loved her older brother Byakuya with all her heart. She wouldn't stand to see him be ridiculed, a foolish child, with a kind heart nonetheless. That's why it pained him to see this information, because if his Father and Mother heard about this, then they wouldn't have any of it, poor Musashi would most likely end up losing her job, savings and her entire life, forced to live on the streets like most of their remaining family.

He had his reasons for acting like a douche, keeping an eye out on himself ensured his survival, even if it didn't get favorable results. By keeping himself from making friends, he could ensure not only his survival but that of his fellow students. He trusted they could get out of this alive, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let them know that.

He heard light breathing near him and looked up from his file, his cold blue gaze directed at one of the nearby bookshelves.

"Will you leave me alone? I can smell you from where you stand." He said firmly. He heard a light eep, and noticed the glare being cast on Touko Fukawa's glasses. Her braided locks almost touching the floor.

"I-I am sorry Master Byakuya. I d-didn't mean to disturb you." she said.

"How do you expect me to read when your odor is distracting me? I plead you to take a shower at once." he said firmly. Touko nodded shyly, and looked at the ground, taking her leave from the library. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Nothing personal, but I can't afford to make friends in this game, losing them early would only serve to break me." he muttered under his breath. He closed the file in his hands, and grabbed the one next to it, keen on reading about the Mystery of Sparkling Justice.

Even after all the fun he and his friends had, Yuno still had a nagging feeling in his mind. He still remembered what happened the night after their first motive, and was scared they were going to have a repeat of that. They all decided to change at 8:30 so they could have ample time to change and head back to their dorms.

Even then, Yuno was most likely going to hang out with Sayaka in her room, being careful that he didn't actually fall asleep there. He just felt comfortable around her, and maybe if he spent time with her before he went to sleep, he could sleep comfortably.

He stood outside of the locker rooms, waiting for her to change back into her clothes, Leon, Makoto and Mikan had already left for the cafeteria to get some food before it closed, leaving him to wait for the Idol and the Gambler, who had admittedly had to take her hair out of it's curls, after getting it thoroughly soaked.

He was honestly really tired, but he was going to stay up as long as he could, after all he still had to search for Junko's eHandbook, which was still missing. He however started thinking that he was never going to find the thing. He had checked everywhere he could think of, but had arrived at nothing. He also thought back to the picture he had found, wanting to find an answer to it.

When he had looked at it, he honestly didn't know who the blonde girl was. Was she even Natsumi Kuzuryuu and if she was, what was she doing with him and Sayaka of all people? He never met the blonde before, hell it was his first time meeting Sayaka too, but that picture told him otherwise.

Another thought occurred to him, if the mastermind had the ability to keep them locked in the academy for extended periods of time, then they certainly had the ability to forge documents and photographs. It lead him to believe that it was fake, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn't. If Kyoko of all people came to him wondering who Natsumi was, then that was probably because he did know her at some point. He grit his teeth in anger.

"This amnesia is really annoying the hell out of me." he mumbled.

"You know, if you mumbled a lot less, people wouldn't know stuff about you."

He looked up, seeing Celeste standing in front of him. His eyes widened a bit, seeing the gambler with her hair down for the first time since they had met. It was a little weird seeing her with her hair down, as he had grown used to seeing her style it with it's signature twin drills.

He noticed that her hair almost touched the floor. She ended up tying it back with a hair tie that she had borrowed from Sayaka, and even with the high ponytail, it was still decently long. She actually looked normal for once, since she wasn't wearing her Gothic Lolita dress.

"I take it you like seeing me like this?" she asked.

"Yeah, you look normal, more relaxed. Not that it's a bad thing, you look great with the dress on too." he said. She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"It's going to take me awhile to restyle my hair, so I might as well leave it down. I might wear my other dress too. Anyways, I'm going to take my leave, I wish to get to bed early tonight, in case something happens." she said.

"Nothing is going to happen Celeste." He said firmly.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked. He was about to reply, but he didn't truly have an answer. She frowned, brushing past him.

"I don't want to sound heartless, but in the current situation we find ourselves in, I doubt the peace will last long."

She left right after, leaving him alone to ponder her words. She was absolutely right, there wasn't anything that was going to stop anyone from committing murder, the longer he spent thinking about it, the longer it became apparent. Even though he still had hope of one day seeing the outside world, he couldn't help but wonder if he was actually going to make it.

"Yuno...is something wrong?"

He looked back, seeing a worried Sayaka standing behind him. She was wearing a pair of blue shorts, along with a black tank top. She was wearing nothing but a pair of flip flops, and she had taken her hair down from it's ponytail, it being still wet form the pool. He gave her a nod and a bright smile.

"I'm alright. Just thinking about something Celeste said to me just now."

"What was that exactly?" she asked curiously.

"Oh...nothing important. Just to make it to our rooms before curfew."

"Ah, maybe we should hurry along then." she said, ushering him out of the locker rooms. He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was a quarter to ten. He frowned, glancing at the blue haired girl beside him.

"You ever wonder if it's actually daytime or not?" he asked.

"Not...really. The clocks are correct, as far as I can tell anyway."

"Mhmm mhmm, as far as you can tell. However the metal plating blocks out all incoming sunlight. Think about it, it could be morning instead of night, and we could have our sense of time all fucked up. Bet you it's Upupu Bear's way to cause us despair after we leave this place." he said.

"I seriously doubt that." Sayaka admitted.

Maybe being locked up was getting to him a bit. She became more aware of the young man as they were walking. She subtly looked at him, his hair was still slightly wet. His muscles were barely visible through the light jacket he was wearing. She swallowed hard, looking away as her cheeks began reddening in a blush.

" _He's so cute! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm thinking that...I can't think stuff like that right now."_ she thought to herself. As they reached the stairwell, Yuno stopped, facing the idol with a firm expression on his face.

"Listen, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." he said.

"Ask..me?" she questioned, the blush on her face darkening a bit.

"Yeah, it's really important. Do you think you could come with me to the boys bathroom real quick?" he asked.

"The b-boys b-bathroom?" she asked. His brows furrowed a bit, wondering why she was stuttering all of a sudden.

"Yes Sayaka, it's alright if you don't want too, I just want to do this in a place without cameras."

"O-okay." she said, her face now entirely red.

He looked around, taking her hand and leading her into the Men's room near the stairwell.

" _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"_ the girl cried loudly in her mind, her focus solely on their joined hands. Once the two were inside, he locked the door behind him, to prevent anyone else from entering. He let out a breath, looking back at the blushing idol.

"Um...Yuno, I've never done something like this before. Shouldn't we use protection?" she asked.

"Use protection? Protection for what?" he asked curiously, head tilted in confusion.

"Well, you asked me to come in here and." She paused, biting her lip as she looked away from him

"Listen I really like you, like...really like you, but don't you think it's a little early to be doing _that_?"

His eyes widened a bit, face turning red. He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling his heart beat quicken.

"You honestly thought I brought you in here for _that_?" he asked.

"I..well...yeah." she said.

He chuckled dryly, shaking his head. It also finally hit him that she had also added a confession to that previous statement. That made him blush even more. Sayaka however, turned around, walking over to the sink and turning the water on. She cupped her hands, gathering a bit of water in them before taking a drink.

"Listen, I didn't bring you in here for anything like that. I just wanted to show you something I found earlier today. I was going to show the others, but I wanted to show you first because you are actually involved in this." he said, reaching for his shirt pocket.

She shut the water off, wiping her hands on her pink towel. She watched as he produced a picture from his pocket. He held his hand out for her to take, which she did. She glanced at it, eyes widening.

"What...what is this?" she asked.

"I'm convinced this is Hope's Peak Academy, before...whatever _this_ is happened." he said.

"But, we're holding hands, and seem really closed to each other. So who's that blonde girl?"

"Natsumi Kuzuryuu. She's a student from this academy, registered in the 79th class. At least that's what the late slips said. I found this picture in the Security office on the First Floor. Kyoko actually told me to check it out."

"She's a part of Class 79. Me, Makoto and the others are part of Class 78...so that mean's there's two classes here?" She asked curiously.

"Three, Mikan is part of Class 77. I don't know why, but there is a reason why we are all trapped in this academy, and our three classes specifically, but it's weird to see that there are only two other students from my class and one from the 77th class. What's the reason for that? The better question is, what happened to their rest of our classes? It's clear we have missing members." he said.

"That's right. We have two missing members from our class...maybe Monokuma wanted it this way." she said, leaning back against the wall. He stood beside her, both looking at the picture.

"Whatever the case, it seems that we knew each other before this...but I honestly feel like this is my first time meeting you. I feel like it's fake, but deep in my heart, I feel it's real." he said.

"Of course it's real...there's no way I would hold hands with a random stranger if I didn't know them." she said firmly, giving him a cute smile.

"It also begs the question, if this really happened before we were trapped here, then what happened to have made the academy this way, and why can't we remember each other? I swear, when I was walking down to the security office, I saw other people walking around the halls, Ultimate students like us. The academy was happy and filled with hope, and those plates were gone from the windows, it looked like a normal school day, but when I closed my eyes, it just looked like this." he said.

"We'll figure it out eventually. After all we still have to find a way out of this place...I know this is all just a ploy..probably for money or for publicity." she said.

"Whatever the case, this made my personal investigation much more complicated." he said with a chuckle.

"Yes it did...but maybe I can assist you, and you know Makoto and the others have your back." she said.

"That they do. Oh yeah...about what you said earlier...do you really like me?" he asked curiously.

"Well of course...you were nice to me since day one. You've been taking care of me, keeping me sane from everything that's going on around me. You even stopped me from committing murder. I think back on it a lot. If I hadn't gone to you, I would have killed someone, it would have been me instead of Mondo, and that thought honestly scares me. I'm scared to death, but with you around, I feel safe. Like I could be myself and not my idol persona that everyone is forced to hang out with. Plus it helps that you are really handsome, and have a nice toned chest and arms." she said, placing her hand on his chest, right over his heart. She could feel how fast his heart was beating. He let out a chuckle.

"Well...I do work out on my down time, I have to stay fit or else I can't enter Archery competitions." he said.

"Do they not let heavier people enter?" she asked.

"I don't know really. I've never seen anyone over 150 pounds though, so I can't say for sure." he said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Whatever the case, Yuno I really do like you. I think we should make an example out of this picture." she said, slipping her hand into his own. He blushed a bit, mouth split into a grin.

"If that's what you want, I'm not complaining." he said.

She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, and stood up on her tip toes, placing her soft lips on his own. Their eyes fluttered closed as they lost themselves in the moment. Even though everything around them spelled despair, they could feel the hope of their blossoming relationship fill them with happiness and hope. Yuno placed his hands on her waist, pulling her as close to himself as he could, and Sayaka did the same, wrapping her arms around his neck. They separated for a single second to breathe, only to kiss again, this time a little more passionate than the last.

Sayaka moaned into his mouth as she felt his tongue graze her own. She felt absolutely giddy, her mind completely blank as the new surge of emotions rushed through her like electricity. That however stopped when they heard a loud flush echo through the quiet room, followed by a muffled swear. The two separated, just as Nick walked out of the middle stall, tying his apron around his waist.

"I'm so sorry. I came in here to take a leak and well...sorry." he said, brushing past the two.

He opened the door and let himself out, the door closing with a soft click. Sayaka blushed bright pink and she let go of Yuno, who's face matched hers. The picture lay discarded on the floor, completely ignored by the two. He leaned down to pick it up, slipping it into his pocket.

"Um...that was..wow." he said.

"It was my first kiss." she admitted.

"Pshh, really?" he asked.

"Yup...please tell me I did okay? I didn't bite you did I?"

"No no. It was soft and delicate, and really sweet...just like you." he said, a stupid grin plastered on his face. She narrowed her eyes, looking at his face.

"You also liked how my boobs felt pressed on your chest, which was why you pulled me closer."

"I...huh?" he asked.

"I'm psychic remember?" she added, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Goddamn it, I keep forgetting that." he said, crossing his arms.

"Come on you, if you like how my boobs feel on your chest, then maybe we can make out some more once we get back to the dorms. Shame that we can't share a room anymore, I'll miss snuggling with you at night." she said. He gave her another quick kiss, before taking her hand in his own.

"Real shame...sadly, as much as I would love to kiss you into the late hours of the night, I have other things to do. I want to find that missing handbook, I'm pretty sure I have the areas narrowed down to two..but I have to make sure." he said.

"Ugh...fine, sure...go investigate instead of kissing your girlfriend, that's cool too." Sayaka said, puffing her cheeks out. He chuckled, leading her out of the bathroom.

"Come on, we can go eat something before the cafeteria closes for the night...maybe while we investigate, we can kiss a little more." he said with a wink, causing her smile to widen. The two left the bathroom hand in hand, much to the dismay of the mastermind, who had been plastered to the hallway camera, waiting for the two to come out.


	9. Chapter 2 Act 4: Divided We Fall

**A/N: Hello everyone. I bring you the newest chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. This will be the second Deadly Life chapter, and I hope I have done it justice. This one in my opinion is a bit lackluster, but it's with good reason. The third class trial will be one of the more fucked up trials, and I can't wait to finish it. I've actually been taking a break so that I could get my bearings straight...sadly, two people will leave us this chapter, and I hope I don't anger everyone who liked them. Feel free to insult me, it would bring me some much needed despair. With this I leave you, thanks for reading, and have a merry week.**

 **Update: 6/27/17: Chapter 2 Act 4 has been edited. There are some grammar fixes, along with an extended ending featuring Sonia and the rest of the Remnants as well as their reactions to the killing game...hope you like it.**

Danganronpa

The High School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 2

Act 4

Divided We Fall

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

" _Goooood Mooorning Students of Hope's Peak Academy! It is now 7am and nighttime is officially over. It's time to get up and tackle the new day. Your Headmaster wishes you all goood luck."_

Yuno groaned, taking a deep breath. The scent of perfume hit his senses, making him more alert. He sat up, stretching his tired limbs. His vision cleared a bit, and he looked around his room, realizing in a second that he wasn't in his room. He noticed the three manikins on the other side of the room, dressed in some very fashionable clothing. He also saw the pink bed sheets strewn on the ground, making him realize that he wasn't in his room. Now more alert, he got out of the bed, grabbing the sheets from the floor and placing back on the bed.

Late into the night, he and Sayaka had decided to split up and go to sleep, and he had come to his new dorm, which had previously been Junko Enoshima's room. Monokuma had at least been lenient and allowed him to place some of his clothing in some of the empty drawers. For some reason he hadn't gotten rid of her clothing, which annoyed him even more due to the lack of respect he had in his so called students. Regardless, he found a change of clothes and ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

After searching the Plaza extensively, Yuno had decided to call it quits on ever finding Junko's eHandbook. He was sure someone had taken it, and since Bryce was the key player in her murder, he had decided to confront him about it in the cafeteria. He hated the fact that he was actually going to do something like that, but he had run out of options. Him walking around with a Girl's handbook could lead to disaster, especially since he could enter both locker rooms on the second floor with it.

The doorbell rung loudly through the empty room, making him groan, he had only been in the shower for two minutes and he definitely wasn't going to leave it to answer the door. He started humming to himself as he washed his hair, completely ignoring the annoying bell chiming in his ear. After half an hour, the person, who he was assuming was Taka, got fed up and left, making him smile widely to himself.

He shut the water off and started drying off, before grabbing his change of clothes and exiting the bathroom. He grabbed his sleeveless hoodie off the back of the chair and put it on, pinning his commemorative pin onto it before leaving the room, letting out a yawn. He made sure the door was locked before making his way to the cafeteria.

"I need to do some laundry soon. Aw shit, I forgot Celeste's morning tea." he said, quickening his pace. He speed walked toward the cafeteria, throwing the doors open unceremoniously. Taka stopped mid sentence, glaring at him.

"Classmate Yuno, I thought something foul had befallen you. When I ring your bell you must answer me at once." he snapped angrily.

"Dude, I didn't get to sleep until three am last night and my head hurts, so could you _please_ not yell at me at 7 in the morning. Thank you." he said, heading toward the kitchen.

"It is not 7 am, it is 7:34 am." Taka said.

"Same difference." Yuno shouted back, slipping through the kitchen doors.

"Well, he seems to be back to normal, in the not mopey kind of way." Leon said.

"Oh I made sure of that last night." Sayaka muttered under her breath, getting a curious look from the gambler who was sitting across from her.

"What pray tell could that mean?" she asked, giving her a sickly sweet smile. The Ultimate Pop Sensation noticed she had been using her accent again.

"Sorry Celeste, but that's a gamble I'm not willing to take." she said.

"Hmm, I suppose so." she said, leaning back in her seat, crossing her legs delicately.

Leon finally took notice of the new dress she was wearing. It was much more... _simpler_ then her usual attire. This one was a long black dress with a few dark gray ruffles on it. It had a bright red rose pinned to the shoulder of it. She was also wearing a crimson colored bow instead of her usual red tie. She wore pitch black stockings and her signature red heels.

He hair was the most different, since it had been styled to look more..normal than her usual look. She had extensively brushed it, leaving it down, her bangs cut evenly just above her crimson eyes. She also wore little make up, looking less pale than she had in the previous few days. Over all she looked more relaxed, and since she wasn't trying to impress anyone, she felt better about herself. Her friends had given her more than enough trust and safety to break her shell, just a tiny bit, around them at least.

Yuno burst out of the kitchen a few minutes later, a cup of tea in his hands. Since he had learned how to prepare it, Yuno had learned how to speed up the process of making the tea, and that lead to a much more rich tasting brew than before. With a quiet thank you from Celeste, he was finally able to take a seat, feeling immensely tired afterwards.

"Well, since Yuno has finally decided to show up, confirming that he is in fact not dead, we can abandon the search party we were going to form." Taka said.

"I told you he likes taking long showers in the morning, no one listens." Sayaka said, leaning back in her chair. She crossed her arms distastefully, glaring at the red eyed teenager.

"Non sense, such foolishness will not be tolerated, as such I am going to ask you Classmate Yuno to wait until after the morning meeting to take your shower."

"Ugh...if it will get you off my ass then fine I will...I'd also like to address something now that I am here. May I?" he asked.

"Of course, everyone gets an equal chance to speak." He said with a smile.

Yuno nodded, standing where Taka had stood previously looking at everyone present. He pulled out the photograph Kyoko had found, holding up so everyone could see.

"Yesterday, Kyoko found this photograph in the Security office, and asked me to personally look at it. I don't exactly know what it means myself, but it does depict the academy before all of these... _renovations_ took place. By looking at the files within the security office, I was able to find out a little information. This picture depicts myself, Sayaka and a girl from the 79th class, who is named Natsumi Kuzuryuu. I don't get why we are in fact in this picture, or so close in fact as I don't remember meeting them before entering this academy, but I felt the need to share this with everyone." he said.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us this yesterday?" Bryce snapped angrily. Yuno glared at him, feeling his eye twitch.

"I didn't tell anyone this yesterday because I was trying to figure it out myself. Kyoko found it and informed me of it, and since it's a picture of me and Sayaka, I felt the need to tell her about it first." he said.

"This is true...I was in the bathroom when he did." Nick said, exciting the kitchen with the usual cart of food. He started passing out everyone's orders, except for Bryce of course who seemed even angrier.

"You knew of this?" he asked.

"I was draining the lizard when this happened and it was a private matter, I wasn't going to share that but since Yuno did, then I don't mind sharing my account. Besides, it's not against the rules to keep shit secret." he said.

"Draining the lizard?" Hina asked curiously, earning a small head shake from Sakura who calmly sipped her tea.

"All of this shit needs to be said, after all the damn mole could be any one of _you."_ The architect snapped.

"Any one of _us."_ Kyoko said. He looked at her, fuming.

"What?" he hissed in anger.

"The mole could be _anyone_ of _us._ I felt the need to correct you...this entire time, I've been digging through the school myself. We all had a vague assumption that this place was Hope's Peak Academy, and now I have proof that it actually is. That picture Yuno has also confirms my suspicions." she said, pulling two folded papers from her blazer pocket. She placed them both on the table.

"This is...a map of the academy?" Hina asked.

"Of the first and second floors. I was able to find it in the Security office, it seemed this is the map that visitors got when they came to visit the students. Why the picture was there was beyond me, perhaps Natsumi Kuzuryuu was a relative." she said.

"It would have been framed...don't you think?" Yuno asked. The silent lavender haired woman looked at him curiously.

"Perhaps, perhaps not, whatever the case, this confirms that we are indeed in Hope's Peak Academy. This map is also missing the red doors that lead to the Trial Court room, meaning that was a later addition, perhaps at around the same time the iron plates were installed and the lights were changed." she said.

"That still doesn't explain why we are being held up here." Byakuya said firmly.

"Oh and I'm willing to bet you didn't find the answer to that question in all of those police reports you read all night." Bryce said. The heir smirked, leaning in his seat.

"I didn't, but you look like a Spanish fellow, I had to make sure you weren't a Serial Killer by the name of _Sparkling_ _Justice,_ after all that would make our living arrangements much less favorable." he sneered, making Bryce grit his teeth in anger.

"Guys, this isn't solving anything. Fighting like this is what is going to be our downfall, there is nothing that remotely points to there being a mole among us. After all, if the Mastermind has enough funds to make us live in this academy the way it is, surely they had enough to dig through our personal lives." Leon replied.

"It's n-not that hard i-if you have the r-right software." Chihiro added.

"Yes, but there also isn't any information refuting that fact. There could be a mole within us right now, it could be the little computer geek, as she's been locked in her room all day and night and only left to get some food and a power cord." Bryce said, pointing to Chihiro who shook nervously.

"It could be the rich douche bag, after all he is a Millionaire Playboy." he continued. Byakuya smirked.

"Billionaire playboy, millionaire is so last year." He said, ignoring the insult altogether.

"He's not denying it, what is stopping the esteemed Byakuya Togami from feeding the mastermind that information about us?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that he doesn't have a direct link to the outside. None of us do, how the fuck would he get that information to then give to the mastermind? What's in it for him? Our misery? Byakuya Togami is a dick, but he's not that big of a dick." Yuno said.

"H-hey, stop disrespecting M-master Byakuya. Stupid idiot." Toko snapped, glaring at the archer.

"I was defending him." he replied halfheartedly.

"What about you _Archer?_ What's the reasoning behind your late night exploration of the academy? You've been breaking the self imposed nighttime rule since that Junko bitch died, explained that?" Bryce said.

"Hey, respect the dead asshole, and I don't have to explain anything to you...as a matter of fact I do, I've been searching for Junko's missing eHandbook. I didn't find it anywhere in my room, but I was able to find Mondo's in the mailbox that's in the Entrance Hall. Where the fuck is it?" he asked.

"How the hell should I know?" he asked.

"I don't know...the bitch died in your room."

"Because of _you_ asshole. I detailed how everything went down, and her eHandbook should have been taken from her body, it was missing the entire time, meaning either you or Mondo took it, and since he's dead, that narrows it down." he said.

"Oh, so now you are saying I took it?" he asked.

"I am. Care to prove me wrong?"

"Yeah, I can asshole. This this isn't a class trial dick head, you can't do shit. Besides I didn't take it, what the hell would I even do with it?"

"I don't know, maybe get into the girl's locker room on the second floor. Seeing as you planned murder, I'm willing to add _rapist_ to that rapidly growing list." Yuno snapped.

"Don't test me fuckface! I may have planned murder but thanks to me, you all know what happens during a class trial. Now we know we aren't getting out of here by killing. The choice is up to you to kill, not me." he said.

"You neglect to add in the fact that you were planning to kill Yuno, that's why you set it all up." Sayaka said.

"Shut up bitch. You are the one that stole the knife planning to shank someone in the spine with it...so you have no reason to talk." Bryce countered.

"Don't talk to her like that dick head, or I swear I will beat the shit out of you." Yuno said, cracking his knuckles.

"Students please...cease the hostility at once. This has gone far enough." Taka said, standing between the two.

"Don't worry, I'll cease the hostility. Wouldn't want to say something that would make the Archer cry like a little bitch." Bryce said.

Yuno pushed Taka out of the way and tackled Bryce to the ground, letting out a growl of anger. He pulled his fist back, socking Bryce across the face as hard as he could. He pulled his fist back to throw another punch before he was pulled off the teen by Taka.

"Classmate Yuno, fighting is not the answer to our problems." He shouted. Yuno pushed him back, glaring daggers at him.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted. Bryce got up, wiping his lip.

"You hit like a pussy." he said.

"Both of you stop this at once. We aren't going to solve our problems by brawling like neanderthals. We need to buckle down and focus on the problem at hand." Kyoko snapped, clearly angry with both teens.

"Tell him to cough up Junko's handbook and I _might_ think about not hitting him again." Yuno replied.

"I already told you assface. I don't have her fucking handbook, I don't know why it was missing but I don't have it. Get it through your thick skull." Bryce snapped back. Yuno scoffed, shaking his head.

"Whatever, if I do find out you do have it, you and I are going to have a problem. Kyoko, I want you to hold on to that picture for me, I know you'll keep it safe." he said firmly, getting a nod from the lavender haired girl. He turned around, leaving the cafeteria.

"Well, that went swimmingly." Celeste said distastefully, finishing her tea.

Even though she was happy to see Bryce getting his face beaten in, she was definitely not expecting the information she had received. Junko's missing handbook literally gave anyone access to the Girl's Locker room.

"That's just great, locked in this hellhole and now whoever has that handbook put's us girls at risk." Hina said firmly.

"If I must, I shall guard the locker room at all times to ensure no men get in." Sakura said, crossing her arms.

"You don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't do something as disgusting as that." Leon said.

"Same here." Makoto said.

"But you don't speak for all of the men currently present. This just makes our problem two times worse. I for one am not going to risk my well being, as much as I love the pool." the Ultimate Swimmer said firmly. Sayaka stood up, walking toward the doors silently.

"Where are you going? We haven't discussed the picture that you two kept hidden!" Bryce said firmly. She turned her head, glaring right into his eyes. He stiffened a bit, as if sensing the anger flowing through her.

"You have no fucking right to demand anything from me. He didn't keep it hidden, he shared it with everyone. We did it for the well being of the group, what the fuck have you done? You have literally done nothing for us. You have been a twat from day one and caused two of our friends to be killed. We owe you nothing, and I honestly hope you die, because you are _worthless._ Don't you dare insult me that way again, you cock juggling thundercunt!" she snapped.

She turned around walking through the doors, only to slam them closed. Byakuya let out a chuckle, bringing attention back to him.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." He said.

"Do you say anything that is actually useful?" Leon asked curiously.

"If you even spent an hour listening to me speak you would get more knowledge than whatever this institution could have ever thought you." He replied.

"Whatever the case, some interesting points have been brought up, Junko Enoshima's missing handbook, this picture and the map I have found are the top of the list. These are things that we as a group need to discuss, we won't get out of here if we act like children." Kyoko said, glancing at everyone, a stoic look on her face.

"Whatever, I pointed out a potential mole, why don't you answer my question Chihiro? What have you been doing locked in your room all day and night?" Bryce asked.

"Dude, what _right_ do you have to intrude on her privacy. You need to stop being a dick and help us get out of here. You are an architect, your talent can help us immensely, yet here you are acting like a douche." Nick called out.

"When _I_ find a way out, I'll be sure and tell no one so you all sit here and suffer." He said, taking his leave.

"Reeeeally tempting to commit murder right now." Leon said.

"Oh trust me, if there were no repercussions with murdering someone I would definitely take the gamble." Celeste said.

"You guys are horrible." Hina said.

"Hey, he literally tried to kill our friend and is a likely suspect of being a mole. If someone disposed of him, no one would complain." Nick said.

"Students cease this conversation at once. Wishing the deaths of our comrades is not what we should be doing." Taka cried out.

"No, we should be working together to get out of here, but apparently letting a person who planned murder run around is a higher priority." Leon said, standing up from his seat.

"I agree with Leon. We have to make sure we know exactly who we are dealing with instead of letting them walk around like they own the place. Any one of us could have been the victim last time, so we should at least keep any eye on him." Makoto said.

"I shall keep an eye on him. I am the Ultimate Moral Compass, I shall make sure to turn Bryce into an exemplary student. This is a solemn vow." Taka cried out proudly. Everyone shook their heads, letting out groans. At least someone would be taking the time to keep them out of harms way.

Yuno sighed angrily, the adrenaline in his system finally calming down. He wasn't honestly expecting to hit Bryce, but he had crossed the line several times. He didn't know if the teen had the missing handbook or not, but he was now lead to believe that he didn't have it, mostly because of his reaction. Maybe the paranoia was getting to him, being locked inside this school for a week and seeing a dead person and an execution was most likely getting to him.

He was just tired of it all, he wanted to get out, he wanted to see his sister...he wanted to remember who he was, who his parents were so he could tell them how much he loved them, but looking around he couldn't help but wonder if that time was ever going to come.

He sat on the steps to the second floor, placing his head on his knees. It wasn't even a week and already things were falling apart. He could only hope no one would die any time soon. He doubted anything would happen, but with the gravity of the motive this time, it wouldn't be long until someone snapped. He was scared the victim would be Sayaka, or Leon or even Mikan, who everyone viewed as the weakest among them. Hell anyone of them could be the next victim and no one would know the truth.

"Yuno, there you are. Are you alright?"

He looked up, seeing Sayaka in front of him. He sighed, letting a small smile grace his lips. Seeing her smile and hearing her voice put him at ease, and he gave her a quiet nod. She sat beside him, wrapping an arm around him.

"It's alright, Bryce is just a douche and he'll get what's coming to him soon." she said.

"I don't want him to get hurt, or die. I don't want anyone to die...I just want to go home. I miss my sister...my family...if only I could remember who they are." he said, glancing at the far wall.

"It'll be okay...we just have to keep hope. We will get out of here alive, and we will find our siblings, that's my personal promise to you. So chin up Yuno, I love it when you smile." She said with a grin.

He chuckled, looking directly into her blue eyes. She blushed a bit, leaning into for a kiss. He ran his fingers through her silky hair losing himself in the kiss. Her scent, her hair, the feeling of her lips on his own, everything was driving him mad. It was enough to forget what just happened in the cafeteria.

"I wonder if they... _holy shit_!"

Yuno and Sayaka pulled away, glaring at Leon who had been unlucky to find them. He let out a chuckle, and ran his fingers through his orange spikes, backing away from the two.

"Leon what's wrong?" Makoto asked, appearing around the bend of the hall. He saw Yuno and Sayaka, strangely close together and after sharing a look with Leon, instantly figured out what had happened.

"Dude, they were totally sucking face." Leon said.

"Maybe we should leave them alone yeah?" he said.

"It's alright guys, we were going to tell you about our relationship at some point. I know it's not the best time, but we like each other and we want to be together." Yuno said, taking a hold of Sayaka's hand.

"I'm happy for you two then. You found hope in a place that has little of it, we seriously need people like you two." Makoto said.

"Thanks dude, but honestly I just want to express my love for Sayaka. She's a really sweet girl and I just feel comfortable around her. She helped keep me calm after Junko's passing." he said.

"He's helped me out a lot, keeping me sane in his place. I just feel safe around him." Sayaka replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Man, this is bogus. Here I am, single and ready to mingle and the archer is the one that gets the idol. I swear, this is blasphemy." Leon cried out, narrowing his eyes.

"What are you even talking about?" Makoto asked, looking at the Baseball player.

"Don't act like you don't know."

"I'm sorry guys, I'll take him somewhere else." Makoto said, pulling their crazy friend away. The two rolled their eyes.

"I'm starting to think Leon is bat shit crazy." Yuno said.

"Oh he is. The poor thing doesn't even realize it." the blue haired idol replied, a giggle passing through her dainty lips.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Ugh...this is madness. All of this sappy crap is annoying the shit it out of me." Junko shouted, glaring at the cameras.

Mukuro who was sitting beside her looked at her curiously. She had at least been able to recover her eHandbook, so no one would suspect a thing, but she realized they would be easily compromised if the Fourth Floor was ever opened.

"What's wrong with two people being in love?" she asked absentmindedly. Junko turned to glare at her, eyes widened and pupils dilated.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Don't you know that love breeds hope? If they fall in love then we're all screwed. No more despair from the killing school life, and then what do we do? We won't get our fill." She snapped.

"But you were watching Yuno and Bryce's fight religiously just a few minutes ago, didn't you get enough despair then?" Mukuro asked. Junko sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm starting to believe you weren't even feeling despair in the first place? Should I kill Makoto then? Seeing as he's the object of your affections?" She asked.

"You can't do that. That's against the rules you set up, a student who killed another student will become a blackened and a class trial must be upheld. Isn't that what you wanted? Technically speaking, you are still a student little sis." Mukuro said.

"Well I'll be damned, cause your little sister despair by reading her the rules she so thoughtfully created. I daresay that is your greatest achievement yet. You may have one corn chip from my plate." She said, glancing at the nachos she had prepared when the argument had started.

"Why just one?" Mukuro asked.

"Because, they're so damn delicious that you'll want more, but since you only got one and you can't get more, you'll feel the despair of not being able to taste them again." Junko said.

" _I never realized just how insane my little sister is. Jeez all of this for just one corn chip."_ Mukuro thought, taking the chip from her plate. Her sister wasn't kidding, they were amazing, most likely made by the Ultimate Chef that was still causing despair through the city.

"This whole whack-a-mole thing isn't getting any results, maybe I should up the ante a little? Give them a whole new sense of despair." she said, grabbing one of the cheese loaded chips, slowly placing it in her mouth and chewing it, just so her sister could glare at it wishing she was eating it. Mukuro shook her head, looking back at the screen.

"What are you going to use this time? You already handed them the information the supposed mole gathered on them." she said. Junko grinned wildly.

"That my dear sister is where you are wrong. We have plenty of information to divulge, and it shall be done post haste." she said, her Queen persona disappearing right after. She turned around, pressing the intercom button, clearing her throat.

" _Ahem, Students of Hope's Peak Academy this is your Headmaster Monokuma speaking. Due to the lack of dead bodies, I am requesting all students to report to the Gymnasium. It seems our mole has gathered a new batch of juicy secrets. Can't wait to see you there."_

Mukuro looked at her sister curiously as she stood up from her seat, heading toward the Monokuma control room. She shuffled something out of her breast pocket, producing Fifteen more sheets of paper, neatly folded down the middle. She handed them to one of the Monokuma units and sent it on it's way.

"Talking to those idiots proved to be their downfall. I may have acted like an airhead, but none of them knew I actually have a knack for retaining information." she said, closing the door right after.

Mukuro had to wonder what went through her little sister's mind when she came up with these motives. Sure, they had gone through several of them before any of this was put into effect, but she wasn't following the plan at all.

" _Maybe she made the plan just to not follow it and cause her despair due to not following it. Wait...was that even possible?"_ she thought to herself. In the end, she decided to watch the screens in front of her, knowing full well that she would see the despair unfold before her very eyes.

 _ **Xxx**_

Yuno and Sayaka walked into the Gym hand in hand, wondering just what Monokuma had in store for them this time. Several of the other students looked at them curiously, seeing the two acting so close. Hina had been the first to ask if they were a couple and upon confirmation cheered loudly, saying they should host a Donut ceremony for them. Celeste merely giggled, saying it would have happened sooner or later. Leon was still mad at Yuno for having, mad skills in the lady department, something he had yet to even understand. All of that however ended when Monokuma made his appearance.

"So, 24 hours and no one has died...what a shame. _Buuuut_ , if there's anything I am, it's patient. Don't get exited nurse girl I'm not that kind of patient." He said, glaring at Mikan who shivered a bit.

"W-who would w-want you as a p-patient anyway?" she asked.

"I am a bear my fair mistress, so I have to go to the vet, thus I don't need a nurse to check me over. Moreover, I've noticed that there are a few of you missing." He said.

Yuno looked around, trying to see who was missing. He counted in his head, realizing that there were only thirteen students in the gymnasium. Bryce chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well, the two missing people are Taka the Hard ass and Touko the Stinky, how much you wanna bet one of them croaked?" He asked.

"That can't be. There's no way in hell Touko or Taka would ever commit murder, they're just...not the type you know." Hina said.

"Mondo wasn't the type and look at where that got him...oh wait..he did kill his brother, my mistake." he said. Rather than give him the pleasure, Yuno looked at the others, a worried look on his face.

"Everyone split up and search for them. Me and Sayaka will look on the second floor, Leon, Makoto would you mind helping us cover the other areas as well?" He asked.

"Sure thing buddy, me and Makoto will check Classroom 2-B and the Library." he said.

"Everyone else search the first floor, there are tons of areas so be through." Yuno said.

Everyone nodded, breaking into their specific teams, with a few extra people going with Yuno's group to the second floor. Upon arrival, Yuno noticed how eerily quiet it was. He ducked into the boy's bathroom first, checking all the stalls while Sayaka handled the girl's bathroom. Neither of them turned up with someone. They then moved onto the Locker Rooms but both of them had been empty.

Upon arriving to the pool, they saw that there wasn't anything out of place. No one was floating in the water, and there weren't any signs of blood or misplaced items. Sighing in defeat, the two moved onto the Second Floor storage room, hoping to find something of interest. Nothing seemed out of place, all of the boxes holding the spare school swimsuits were still lined perfectly and the extra pool equipment was in it's place. Yuno sighed, shaking his head.

"Come on Taka, where could you be?" he muttered.

"Maybe in the other classroom?" Sayaka asked hopefully.

He nodded, leading her toward Classroom 2-A. Inside, he found Hina and Sakura, checking over the classroom. Yuno tried not looking at the board, as the dicks that Leon had drawn in detail were still in place. Sakura however shook her head distastefully.

"I wasn't aware Hope's Peak Academy enrolled children among their ranks." she said.

"You'd be surprised." Yuno said, looking around the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

"Have you been here long?" Sayaka asked. Hina shook her head, moving toward the supply cabinet in the back of the room.

"No...we just finished checking the library with Leon and Makoto, but they wanted to double check in case we missed something. So far it seems the second floor is clear of people, living or otherwise." she said, opening the closet.

She let out a scream of shock as a large cardboard penis flew out of the cabinet, propped up with nothing but rubber bands and paper clips. The veins had been drawn too accurately, and a visual representation of semen could be seen leaking out of the top. Yuno couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh, pointing at the giant thing. Sakura and Hina looked at him, disappointment written on their face.

"Honestly Yuno, I was hoping you weren't _this_ childish." the wrestler said.

"No...it...wasn't me...honest." he said, wiping his tears away.

"Then who did it?" Sayaka asked, annoyed that her boyfriend was laughing at something that wasn't appropriate.

"Sorry, I promised not to say."

"Leon." the three girls said at once, knowing all to well of the Baseball Star's more rebellious nature. Yuno shook nervously.

" _Sorry buddy, but you are on your own on this one."_

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when Monokuma's voice came on through the speakers, that eerily familiar giddy announcement call made him shake with fear.

" _Ding ding ding, a body has been discovered. Isn't this great? I didn't even have to push the new information the mole leaked. You know the deal guys, an investigation will be held and after a while, the Class Trial will begin. Gooood Luck everyone."_

The familiar ding of his eHandbook alerted him that this in fact was happening. He dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out the device and clicking on the Truth Bullet icon that had been highlighted on the screen. His eyes widened when he saw the name.

 **Victim's name: Kiyotaka Ishimaru**

 **Cause of Death: Severe Blood loss due to large laceration on neck. Also sustained a Gunshot to the head.**

 **Time of Death: 9:57 Am.**

 **The Victim was found in the First Floor Storage room collapsed on the floor. Blood was visibly leaking from the neck pooling around the body. The victim also sustained a gunshot to the back of the head, a 38 caliber shell casing from the weapon was found next to the body. Death was instantaneous.**

"Jesus Christ." Yuno mumbled, almost dropping his eHandbook.

"Come on Sakura, we have to see if its true." Hina said, trying not to shed any tears and rapidly failing.

The two athletes left the classroom, followed shortly by Yuno and Sayaka who were trying to keep up with the two. After a few minutes of running, they all reached the store room, laying eyes on the scene for the first time.

Sitting back against one of the shelves was Kiyotaka Ishimaru, a gaping hole on the front of his head. His mouth was slightly open, a thin trail of blood falling from the corner of it onto his chin. His pristine uniform, was stained pink with his own blood that pooled around the body. In his hand was the .38 caliber handgun mentioned in the Monokuma File. A few of the things on the shelf behind him had been moved, and several boxes spilled onto the ground. The archer stood in shock as he looked at another friend and classmate's dead body.

 _ **(Chapter 2 United We Stand Daily Life End)**_

 _ **(Chapter 2 Divided We Fall Deadly Life Begin)**_

 _ **Investigation Start:**_

"Goddamn it, why does this keep happening?" he shouted in anger.

"A good question indeed, but it seems we have a perplexing case on our hands this time around." Byakuya said, already looking for clues.

Yuno swallowed his emotions, standing up straight and taking a deep breath, which he instantly regretted, as the scent of copper had assaulted his nose. He shook it off, as he looked around the room. The tipped over boxes and spilled food items seemed to spell something different than what he had been previously thinking.

"Looks like a fight happened here. All of these boxes fell off the shelves, meaning Taka was most likely assaulted before he was killed." he said.

"That's something I already figured out. However it seems like there is something else I have to confirm. If you excuse me." Byakuya stated, leaving the room. Yuno sighed, shaking his head in disgust.

 _ **Tipped Over Boxes was added to your Truth Bullets.**_

Walking deeper into the store room, he tried looking around to see if there were any larger things out of place. He didn't happen to see anything out of the ordinary.

"Look at this skillet, there's blood on it." Hina said. Yuno quickly turned around, walking over to where the skillet lay. He looked at it closely, humming to himself.

"It seems like this is a replacement skillet, like the ones in the kitchen. If that's the case it might have come from one of the boxes in this store room. Would you mind checking to see if the other skillets are in their proper place Hina?" He asked.

"Count on it Yuno." she said with a wink.

"I shall go assist her." Sakura said, taking her leave as well.

 _ **Bloody Skillet was added to your Truth Bullets**_

He tried looking around for anything else that could have been used for evidence but nothing seemed to stand out to him. Taking a deep breath, he turned around the face Taka's body. He swallowed hard, kneeling down before the body. He did a silent prayer for the teen, who only wanted his fellow classmate's to stop fighting and work together. He had been killed, and he most likely suffering due to not being able to keep morale up within the academy. He sighed, shaking those thoughts out of his head.

Looking at the body, he could see the signs of a struggle, most likely from a fight. His clothes were a bit wrinkled, not at all looking like the pressed outfit he had been wearing an hour prior. He even saw one of his badges out of place on his shirt.

"Looks like he was in a fight...or at least trying to stop one." he muttered to himself.

 _ **Ruffled Clothes was added to your Truth Bullets**_

He looked at the wound on his neck, grimacing a bit at just how deep the wound truly was. It was made in a fluid motion, whatever weapon had caused it wasn't present in the store room, as not even a single knife could be seen laying around. It was truly horrifying to know that someone was running around the academy with a weapon like this. "Taka had bled out, instantly, this knife severed his jugular vein. It was clear that this was most likely the cause of death, as the blood stained his uniform and the floor below him."

 _Neck Wound was added to your Truth Bullets_

He looked down at the gun in Taka's hand. Looking closely at it, he saw that it was a Smith and Wesson .38 special revolver. It was the carry gun of the Japanese Police Force. What it was doing in the academy was beyond him, but it had caused the gaping hole in Taka's head. It looked like the bullet had exploded out of his forehead. He looked at the shell casing on the floor, finding it odd that it was even there in the first place.

"Revolvers don't eject their spent ammo casings, they stay in the cylinder until the person loads more. This one was deliberately left beside the body, perhaps the person who used it didn't know that about this gun, and did it in a hurry."

 _ **.38 special Revolver was added to your Truth Bullets**_

 _ **Spent Bullet Casing was added to your Truth Bullets**_

Yuno carefully took the gun out of Taka's hand, looking at it closely. There was a bit of blood speared on the handle of the gun and on the barrel. The blood on the handle was easy to explain due to it being in his bloody hand, but if this was staged to look like a suicide, then whoever did it did a poor job. He flicked the cylinder open, seeing the four bullets that remained inside, the empty slot from where the spent shell was supposed to be quite evident. He took the bullets out of the gun, placing them in his pockets.

"Where did Taka even get a gun in the first place? Did he...already own it?" Sayaka asked, standing next to her boyfriend. He looked at her, placing the gun on the ground next to their deceased friend.

"I don't think Taka personally owned the gun. It's illegal in Japan to even own a gun unless you are a government official or a police officer. Even then there are tight laws surrounding that. That however doesn't stop people from buying them online. This one seems like it belonged to the security guard that was supposed to keep Hope's Peak Academy safe."

"How do you figure?" she asked.

"It's just a guess, I have to check another place first. However, looking over Taka's body, it's clear that this wasn't a suicide like it seemed to be at first glance. The wound to the neck killed him, the shot to the back of the head seemed to be an added measure just in case. They probably tried to make it seem like a suicide but when they realized it looked wrong, left the scene in a panic." he said, standing up.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked.

"Certainly. The blood on his uniform tells me that the laceration to the neck happened first. Once Taka was dead on the ground, the murderer shot them in the back of the head, the exit wound is clearly visible." he said.

 _ **Bullet Exit Wound was added to your Truth Bullets**_

"Oh...then that means that pool of blood near the shelf must have been where Taka was shot." She said, pointing toward the back shelf.

Indeed it did look like the body had been dragged a bit and placed in it's current position. Yuno inspected it closely, seeing what looked to be brain matter, and the broken tile on the ground. He saw the bullet as well, in the center of the tile in the middle of the blood pool.

"Good eye Sayaka. It seems this is the spot where he was shot, meaning the person dragged them over to this shelf here and staged the scene. This must have taken place during the time we were heading to the gym, meaning the person who did it had enough time to change. Only two people didn't show up, Taka and Touko. The former is dead...that means the latter...oh shit...what about Touko?" he asked.

"Oh no, no one's found her yet. I'll go look for her." Sayaka said.

"Sweetie, be careful alright?" he asked. She nodded, kissing his cheek.

"Always. You take care of the investigation, I know you'll arrive at the truth soon." she said, taking her leave.

As he was about to leave, Hina entered the storage room, followed by Sakura, both sporting frowns on their faces.

"The skillets are all in place, meaning the one that's on the floor here is one of the replacements." she said.

"Thanks, that helps a lot. I've already figured out a lot of what could have potentially happened. However Touko is currently missing, could I ask you to to please look for her? I fear she may also be a victim." he said.

"Count on us Yuno, we'll find her." Hina said, giving him a salute. Sakura gave him a silent nod, which he returned with a smile. He left the storage room, keen on checking the Security office.

"Hey Yuno, find anything on the killer?" Leon asked, meeting up with the archer as he entered the Plaza.

"Not yet, I don't have any leads, but it seems Taka got into a fight with someone, not sure if it was the killer or not. Sadly not a lot of helpful clues were left this time around." he said negatively.

"I'm pissed off man. Taka just wanted everyone to get along, he didn't do anything that deserved this outcome. You know he volunteered to keep an eye on Bryce because of the argument you two had?"

"Really?" Yuno said.

"Yeah...he was smiling, promising everyone that he would keep them safe, than this happens. Poor guy...bet you he must have died regretting not saving us from this hell hole."

 _ **Leon's Account was added to your Truth Bullets.**_

The weight of that conversation served as a reminder that Yuno was going to have a hard time getting out of this place alive, already a week had passed and three people were dead. He entered the Security office, where Kyoko and Celeste were looking around.

"Hey girls, find anything?" Leon greet, as they entered the office.

"Nothing of value to the case, but apparently I did find some late slips written out to someone of the 78th class, a young man named Yasuhiro Hagakure. Either of you recognize his name?" She asked.

"Not really." Leon said.

"Vaguely, he was a Clairvoyant I think. I remember Kotoko wanting her future read at some point so she might have mentioned it. Don't take my word for it, I could be wrong." he said, moving toward the Head Security Guard's desk.

Kyoko had been busy looking at some other documents, so he had knelt down to inspect the drawers. Seeing the bottom one had its lock busted, he proceeded to open it, finding a case of spare bullets. He took the ones from his pocket out to compare them, finding that they were identical.

"So the gun came from here. Someone pried this drawer open and took the gun from here. I tried opening this desk drawer yesterday but found it impossible, not without the key at least." he said.

"I've looked through this office a few times already but I didn't find the key at all." Kyoko said.

"I've been meaning to ask you Kyoko, how did you feel about that picture? You were the one who discovered it but you didn't share your feelings about it with me. What were your thoughts on it?" he asked.

"Honestly, I couldn't discern any certain feelings. Seeing you and Sayaka happy however, it gave me a new sense of hope. I don't know if it's real or not, and I'm willing to bet it is, but I know it's the kind if hope we need to get out of this academy. Perhaps Natsumi is out there waiting for you to return, she seemed quite annoyed at whoever was taking the picture." she said.

"I feel bad for whoever was taking that then, because she looked really pissed." Leon said with a chuckle. They heard the sound of the intercom, breath hitching a bit.

"What? Already? We haven't even gotten enough time to investigate yet." Yuno snapped.

" _Ding Ding Ding, looks like its our lucky day. First the Hall Monitor is found swimming in his blood, and now we find ourselves with a deceased Author. What are the odds of that?"_

"What?" Yuno cried out, shoving his hand in his pocket.

He pulled out his eHandbook, pulling up the Monokuma File. He couldn't even speak, words weren't able to even form in his mind, but it seemed that the bear wasn't lying and another body was indeed discovered.

 **Victim's Name: Touko Fukawa**

 **Cause of Death: Strangulation**

 **Time of Death: 10:17Am**

 **The Victim was found in the Girl's Locker Room by Aoi Asahina and Sakura Oogami. The Victim was found hanging by the neck with a rope fashioned from some bed sheets. No wounds were found on the body and so far, it seems it was a suicide.**

"She killed herself? Touko fucking killed herself?" Leon shouted.

"Please, try not to panic, it wouldn't do us any would would it?" Celeste said, running a hand through her silky hair. It seemed she had picked up one of Yuno's habits. Shaking her head, she brushed past the two boys, her long hair trailing behind her.

"If you excuse me, I think I will head up to examine the body myself." She said.

"I'll go with you, I'm pretty much done here." Yuno said.

"Sorry man, I can't bare to see another freaking body. I'll sit this one out." he said, taking a seat behind the security desk.

Yuno gave him a nod, following the gambler out of the office. The two walked in silence, neither wanting to say anything about the current dilemma. Yuno's mind however was racing. He couldn't believe what was going on. Taka had been killed and now Touko had supposedly killed herself. Could it be that the killer this time around was able to kill the victim and dispose of the witness? Junko's missing eHandbook could have made it possible. He grit his teeth at this new outcome.

"Something wrong there Yuno? You seem perturbed by something." Celeste said.

"I am...the fact that this could be a double homicide. The killer could have murdered Taka, Touko could have been a witness to it all, and with nowhere to hide, she decides to go up to the Girl's Locker room. Since the killer's only way in would be to use an eHandbook, she thinks its safe, but the killer has Junko's missing handbook, easily getting access to it. He or she murder Touko and make it seem like she killed herself. Both of these are made to look like a suicide but clearly have had an outside source pulling their strings." he said.

"Someone planned another murder? Could it be our friendly neighborhood Architect perhaps?" she asked curiously.

"I doubt it. This time around it seemed less planned, more on the spot thinking. They probably did it in a haste and got it all wrong, whatever the case they hid their footsteps rather well."

"Hmm...it does make sense, seeing it from the information we currently have. It wasn't meticulously planned like before, Architect's have a knack for planning and revising their plans, so that's why everything was so fluid last time, this time it seems like it was done off the cuff. Very good Yuno, for spotting this little detail." She said with a smile.

"It's nothing Celeste...I just want to keep people safe, especially my friends. I just can't believe this is happening again." he said sadly. They both reached the top of the stairs, heading toward the Locker rooms.

"I can't believe it either, but this is the world we live in and we must adapt to in order to live. None of us have met our demise yet, so I say we are playing the game accordingly." she said.

"I suppose...maybe we've just been getting good hands." he said jokingly. She giggled, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him before they entered the locker room.

"Listen, after all of this is over...would you come to my room? I have something rather important I need you to do for me." She said, seriousness in her voice. He gave her a firm nod, making her smile.

"Excellent, let us proceed."

The duo entered the locker room at the same time. They couldn't help but gasp at the sight before them. The Ultimate Writing Prodigy hung lifelessly from the bed sheet rope that had been fashioned. He noticed a pair of scissors was the only thing holding the rope in place. Touko had a bit of blood on her hand, and on the ground lay another pair of scissors, these being covered in blood. Hina and Sakura stood close by, both saddened by the sight, with Hina openly crying about it.

"We thought we were gonna find her, scared out of her wits about Taka's death, but instead we find her like this. We tried bringing her down but the knot is too tight." the donut loving girl said.

"All we can do is wait for someone to untie her. Even I can't get that knot untied." Sakura said firmly.

"I understand...it's a shame that two people paid the price today, neither of them deserved this." he said.

He knelt down in front of the scissors, looking at them closely. They were covered in quite a lot of blood, enough for it to pool around the tip of it. He looked up at Touko's hand but didn't find a single cut. The scissors looked sharp, deadly sharp, and didn't match any of the kinds he had seen before. It was definitely quite odd.

 _ **Bloody Scissors was added to your Truth Bullets**_

Looking up at the rope, he saw the same style of scissors holding it up. It was almost near the ceiling. There was a large knot in the center of the fashioned rope, meaning two bed sheets had been used to make it.

 _ **Bed Sheet Rope was added to your Truth Bullets**_

"Hmm...these scissors look familiar. I can't help but feel like I've seen them before." Celeste said.

"Wait...you recognize these scissors? Who do they belong too?" he asked firmly.

"A serial killer." She said.

"This isn't a joke Celeste, seriously people died today." Hina snapped angrily.

"Jokes like those are in bad taste, please refrain from using them." Sakura added. Celeste looked at the two, her sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.

"It wasn't a joke, if you let me finish perhaps I would enlighten the two of you meat heads a bit. _Ahem_ as I was saying, these scissors look like the ones that a Serial Killer by the name of Genocide Jack uses on his victims. This Serial Killer is responsible for at least 1042 unsolved murders in the last couple of years. The victims are mostly killed by large lacerations on the neck and various other parts of the body. Genocide Jack's call card is the signature phrase Bloodbath Fever. He also leaves his victim's crucified with a pair of his special Genocide Scissors. These resemble them significantly." Celeste said, eyeing the pair of scissors on the floor.

"A Serial Killer. The one who owns that pair of scissors is a serial killer who could currently be among us? There is no way in hell Hope's Peak Academy would let a serial killer into it's halls." Hina said.

"They let in a Yakuza before, I'm sure they have no qualms with letting a serial killer in, especially if they achieved the Super Highschool Level status." Yuno said.

"Super what?" Celeste asked.

"Oh right...it's a little insignificant but before the old headmaster retired, Hope's Peak used to call it's alumni the Super Highschool Level students. That was changed after the new headmaster took over, as it made it easier on those who had to type documents up and didn't feel like writing a students entire title." He said.

"That's cool I guess, except it has no pertains to this at all." Hina snapped.

"Sorry, I just favor that title over _Ultimate_. Whatever I finished inspecting this crime scene, though this looks like a genuine suicide." he said.

 _ **Celeste's Account was added to your Truth Bullets**_

"Ah, before I go, Hina Sakura, was this door locked when you came to check for Touko?" he asked.

"Yes, we had to unlock it with our eHandbooks. We made sure to check Touko too and we found her's in her pocket, so rest assured, it wasn't stolen." Hina said, flashing the extra handbook at the two students.

"I was here as well, so you can rest assured, Hina speaks the truth." Sakura said firmly.

 _ **Hina and Sakura's Accounts have been added to you Truth Bullets**_

"Well, I'm going to find Sayaka and see if she found anything else. What are you going to do Celeste?" he asked.

"I think I'll check a few more things here. I have a few theories of my own, sadly you'll have to wait until the class trial to learn anything from me." She said.

"Okay...good luck alright?" he asked.

"Heh, as if I need it." she replied. She gave him grin, making the teen roll his eyes. He left the locker room, heading downstairs to find his girlfriend. As he entered the plaza, he saw Sayaka coming out of Hotel Despair, looking a bit down. Her face lit up when she saw him, a tiny smile gracing her face.

"Hey Yuno, find anything?" she asked.

"Looks like Touko took her life, as far as we know anyway. We weren't able to bring her body down to inspect it for foul play. What about you?" he asked.

"Me and Makoto checked her room and found her bed completely stripped of its sheets." she said.

"That explains the rope." he muttered dryly.

 _ **Bed Sheet Rope Truth Bullet has been updated.**_

"This all just to horrible. Taka didn't deserve that, and I don't know what drove Touko to kill herself all of a sudden. Was she just sick of being stuck here?" she asked.

"Maybe hearing another one of us had been killed was the turning point for her and she couldn't take it anymore. I'm ashamed that I wasn't there to stop this from happening, but there's nothing we can do in this scenario. I just wish I knew who did it, I haven't even come up with a suspect this time around. It's all too messy." he said.

"Maybe...maybe that's what the killer wants. He wants us to doubt each other, he wants us to be divided, so he could easily pin someone else of doing it. It could even be the mole Monokuma has among us." She said.

"Dividing us further will prove to be his undoing. If we figure out who it is, then he's definitely dead." He said.

"If we don't find out who did it, we're dead. I don't want to die." she said, shaking a bit. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead.

"Hey, I promised you I wasn't going to let you die here didn't I? And you promised me you'd get us out. We need to stay strong for those who aren't." he said softly yet firmly. She nodded, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

" _Ding Dong Ding Dong. Alright ya losers, I've grown tired of waiting, everyone head to the red doors at the end of the hall on the first floor. It's time for our second class trial."_

Yuno swallowed hard. The time to investigate was finally over, and the next phase was about to begin, he could only hope he had enough information to bring the bastard who did it down. He heard the familiar sound of his handbook, prompting him to look at it.

"Mikan's Autopsy report?" he asked, looking at the screen.

"We don't have time, we'll look at it on the lift." Sayaka said, taking his hand and leading him out of the Plaza, toward the aforementioned red doors, that everyone was currently trying to get to. The red doors opened, allowing the students to once again step inside.

"Well, this case seems like a doozy. There wasn't anything that lead to anyone in particular." Leon said.

"The fact two people are dead brings another question, if both were done in by one person, does that mean there's no limit to how many people someone could kill? If not, that means one of us could kill the others and walk out of here alive." Byakuya said.

"Way to bring the mood further into the ground bro." Bryce said firmly, shaking his head.

"Alright, asses on the lift now before I get bored!" Monokuma said, unlocking the doors to the lift.

Everyone filed inside and the doors closed behind them. They felt themselves start moving downward, once again heading to the Class Trial court room, only this time, the circumstances were different. Without concrete proof of who the killer was, they would be grasping at straws. He secretly hoped this wasn't the killer's true intention. If not...then he could only hope to get out of it alive.

xxx

Erika grit her teeth, eyes firmly on the screen as she continued to watch everything that was going on inside Hope's Peak Academy. Everyone had been watching The School Life of Mutual Killing intently after it had started. Akira had developed special software that would rid the live feed of all brainwashing technology, but it seemed as if Junko wasn't using any. The Ultimate Fashion Designer swallowed hard as the lift started heading down, a sign that the class trial was about to begin.

"Erika, have you heard anything from Hiyoko yet?" Sonia asked, causing the brunette to look away from the screen.

Over the last few days, the Ultimate Princess had been on edge. She had been watching the show as well, wanting to see what was truly going on. They all knew they weren't the only ones watching it. Every monitor, every screen, across the world, was playing that video. Junko had even gone as far as creating subtitles in every language across the globe, just so everyone could understand it.

"No...not after you found her in that pile of bodies. She's been gone, I don't think she's all there anymore...I don't exactly blame her." the girl replied.

"Damn it...I understand she's hurting, but she shouldn't have left. Not when Future Foundation is out there tracking all of us down!" she cried.

"Madam, we've got some live feed from sector 34...it seems the Planetarium has grown active once more." Kazuto cried, minimizing the feed from Hope's Peak. He cued up the feed from one of their cameras.

On screen, Kazuichi and Takane appeared, sending a large Monokuma out into the streets. Everyone gasped when they saw Hiyoko standing in front of the two. The three were just standing there, staring at each other, sadly because of the camera's quality they couldn't hear anything, other than the screaming of the remaining humans.

"Damn it, send a chopper her way right now...and someone take down that Monokuma!" Sonia cried.

"Yes ma'am, we need choppers ASAP, send them to Sector 34."

"Rerouting all available power to charge the particle beam, I've been dying to test this sucker out." Akira said, rapidly typing something on her computer.

" _Alright kiddos, time to deliberate and find out whodunit this time. And boy do we have a court case for you all. Who killed the Hall Monitor? Why did the Writer kill herself? Did she kill herself? It's time to find out. Upupupupupu!"_

Sonia grit her teeth in anger. There was just too much for her to focus on, and honestly she didn't know what was going to happen next. She just hoped Hiyoko knew what she was doing...


	10. Chapter 2 Act 5: Divided We Fall

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the final act of Chapter 2. I hope you all have been enjoying it so far, I've put a lot of time and effort to make it as good as I can. Of course there are something even i don't like, but I didn't feel like changing the final product too much. I hope you all aren't upset with the people I decided to kill off this chapter, and please bare with me, Chapter 3 will be way more suspenseful, and filled with more Despair of course. More of Yuno's past will be revealed, and a mysterious person will also be revealed, who are they? only time will tell.**

 **Also, if you haven't watched Danganronpa 3, Future Arc or Despair Arc, please do so. They are getting good, and we are getting a lot of information through them. I found out that Kuzuryuu's sister was actually named Natsumi, but I will not change her name, since it would require me to go back and edit it and I've already written it as Koyomi for both Chapter 2 and 3. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, now onto the story.**

 **Update: 6/27/17: Chapter 2 Act 5 has been edited...there have been various grammar fixes, as well as some added stuff during the class trial itself...hope you enjoy it.**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 2

Act 5

Divided We Fall

 _ **(Deadly Life)**_

 _ **(Class Trial Start: All Rise)**_

Taking their spots, the Thirteen remaining students looked around, seeing Taka and Touko's images added to the roster of deceased students, along with Junko and Mondo. Both pictures sported pink crosses, drawn in what looked to be bright pink marker. Monokuma took his seat at the throne overlooking the entire trial. He tapped his gavel on his arm rest, looking at the students.

"Alright kiddos, time to deliberate and find out whodunit this time. Oh boy do we have a court case for you all. Who killed the Hall Monitor? Why did the Writer kill herself? Did _she_ kill herself? It's time to find out. Upupupupupu!"

"The Circumstances of this trial are significantly different from the previous trial, especially because all of it was too messy, it was done with haste. Who did it though, that's the real question." Byakuya said.

"First, let's address the state of Taka's body. It was found in the store room, where it was clearly evident of there being a fight. He had a laceration to the jugular vein and a gunshot to the back of the head." Kyoko said, looking at her handbook.

"It was clear that the gunshot killed him. After all, it was quick and painless. The laceration to the throat was probably done afterwards." Nick said.

"No, that's wrong!" Yuno said, gaining everyones attention. He sighed, a sad but confident look on his face.

"Taka's body was propped up against the shelves in the back of the room. His clothes were soaked with his own blood. That meant that the laceration to the neck happened first. He probably dropped to the ground a second later, the shock of what was happening registering in his mind before falling to the ground dead. The gunshot happened afterward. The hole on his forehead is larger than the one on the back of his head, meaning that it was an exit wound and not an entrance wound." he said.

"So it wasn't a suicide?" Nick asked.

"I don't know if you have ever used your brain, but if you slice your own throat, you die in under a second. He wouldn't be alive to blow his brains out. Please refrain from talking unless you have something valuable to add to this case." Byakuya called out, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Furthermore, the area around Taka was in a state of disarray. It was possible that he was there stopping a fight from happening when this happened." Kyoko said, regaining the attention of her classmates.

"Actually, there's proof that the gunshot killed him." Hina said.

"Where exactly?" Makoto asked.

"The Skillet on the ground had a blood stain on it. They could have used that to strike him, and when he was on the floor they very well shot him in the head. To make sure he was truly dead, they slashed his throat _after_ propping his body against the shelves." she said.

"U-um...actually Hina...that isn't...possible." Mikan said, getting all of the attention on her. She gave a low cry and shivered a bit. Yuno gave her a smile, enough confidence to continue. She cleared her throat, pulling out the small notebook she carried with her.

"I was able to perform an autopsy on Taka's body. Aside from the laceration on the neck and the gunshot to the head, he didn't have any other significant injuries. He was cut first and _then_ shot." She said.

"Then what about the skillet?" Hina asked.

" _That's right...the skillet is the only thing out of place here...but how does it fit in the puzzle?"_ Yuno thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes in thought, thinking back on the scene. The boxes had tipped over, Taka was on the ground and the Skillet was...by the door...of course.

"That's it." he said.

"Well spell it out for us dear, we don't have much time." Celeste said.

"What if Taka wasn't the one struck with the Skillet? What if someone else was struck with it instead?" he asked.

"Okay...then who's that someone else? One of us would be either bleeding or have a huge lump on their head." Bryce said, crossing his arms.

"It was obviously the killer. Think about it, Taka probably got into a fight with the killer, which resulted in the boxes being tipped over. He grabbed the Skillet striking them in the head and knocking them out. Thinking that he had accidentally killed them Taka backed away, dropping the skillet by the door. That's when the killer revealed their feint and ended up slicing his neck." he said.

"Except the killer would be covered in blood." Byakuya said.

"Not necessarily. This happened at 9:57, the water was already running so they could have ran back to their dorm to shower." Leon said.

"Yeah, and who was the only other person who didn't show up at the Gym for Monokuma's call? Touko." Nick said, pointing out that crucial detail.

"That's right. She was the only one who didn't show up." Bryce said.

"Except it wasn't Touko that did it." Yuno said.

"Oh really? It's pointing to her right now, and she did end up killing herself? Probably the guilt setting in?" Byakuya said, Yuno glared at him for a second.

"Well, it couldn't have been her because the killer used a gun. A gun that was locked away in the security office." He said.

"She could have broken the lock." Byakuya continued.

"Except she couldn't. That lock looked like it was pried open with a screw driver. I don't know about you but there isn't a Wood Shop anywhere on the two floors available. The only person who could have opened that drawer was a guy, since they have the proper tool kit to do so." he said, a little smugly. He was proud to have been able to make that assumption. Byakuya sighed, ruffling his hair a bit.

"I suppose I may have overlooked that tiny detail." he said.

"Alright, so it was a guy who opened the drawer. Who has been to the security office before today?" Hina asked.

"Well, I was there yesterday after Kyoko found that picture." Yuno said.

"Aha, so it seems the archer strikes again. It was you who stole the gun from the bottom drawer of the security desk then?" Bryce said.

"No...it wasn't me who did it...but how did you know it was in the bottom drawer?" Yuno countered. The architect visibly stiffened, frozen in place as everyone looked at him.

"I should have known. So it was you who grabbed the gun then?" Byakuya asked.

"I'm not confirming nor denying anything." Bryce replied, crossing his arms.

"So basically yes. It was him that stole the gun." Kyoko said.

"Does that mean he did it then?" Leon asked.

"No...it wasn't him as much as I would love to vote for him." Yuno said, getting curious looks from him.

"Defending me eh? How ironic."

"Shut up Bryce, allow the adults to speak please." Celeste replied, making the architect grit his teeth in anger.

"Let's move away from Taka's murder and start talking about Touko Fukawa. Hina and Sakura found her hanging from the neck with a rope fashioned out of bed sheets. Sayaka told me that the sheets from her bed room were missing, so I conclude she used them to make the rope." Yuno said.

"We also found a pair of scissors on the ground near where she had hung herself. The scissors were quite sharp as well, and could be easily used to cut through any material." Sakura said.

"We're they sharp enough to cut through flesh?" Nick asked.

"Ew, what would you ask something like that man?" Leon asked, gagging a bit.

"I ask because if they are then we have a prime candidate for our missing murder weapon. We established that the gun was used after Taka had bled to death, and if those scissors were covered in blood, then they are definitely the murder weapon." He said firmly.

"Wow, I didn't think you would actually arrive at that answer. Give the man a cookie." Bryce said, earning a low growl from the baker.

"The scissors are definitely the murder weapon. I also found several more pairs hidden under Touko's skirt, in a specially made holster. Have a look." Celeste said, taking a couple pairs of scissors from her dress sleeves.

She handed a pair to Byakuya who looked at them closely, while passing the other pair to Yuno. He ran his finger along the edge, wincing a bit when he cut himself, the pink blood flowed down his finger and he cringed a bit.

"Damn, these are razor sharp on both sides. These were definitely made for slicing as well as cutting." He said. Mikan took his hand, shaking her head.

"Honestly Yuno, you have to be careful." she said, pulling out an alcohol swab.

He blushed a bit as the girl cleaned his cut and wrapped it up with a pink band aid, giving it a little kiss. Makoto and Sayaka were a bit uncomfortable, since the nurse had been leaning over their stands to reach him.

"These definitely fit the description of our missing murder weapon. I would also like to point out that a pair of these was holding up Touko's rope. They must have been made to be very durable if they could hold her weight and not fall from the wall." He said.

"Why would Touko have these deadly ass scissors though? She doesn't look like the type to have something like this on her." Leon said.

"That...is a good question Leon." Makoto added.

"Maybe they aren't hers? Maybe they belong to another person here in the academy, and since she was a shy anti-social person, they forced her to hold onto them." Sayaka said.

" _No...that isn't it...but...wait a minute...that totally makes sense...going by what Celeste said before."_

"I agree with that." Yuno said, earning a curious look from Sayaka.

"You do?" she asked. He earned a nod from him, and he brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

"These scissors don't belong to Touko at all, they belong to someone else, someone who's hiding among us as we speak. The Serial Killer Genocide Jack." he said.

"Okay...this guy has definitely lost his marbles...how can a serial killer be allowed into this academy? Don't you use your fucking head?" Bryce asked.

"Of course I do. Thing is, I do believe a Serial Killer roaming inside the halls of Hope's Peak Academy, if they are in our age group and achieved the Ultimate Student status, why wouldn't the academy let them in? Furthermore do I need to remind you that you and Genocide Jack are on par for planning murder?" he asked.

That shut Bryce up, but for how long was anyones guess. Yuno shook his head, letting out a tired sigh.

"Celeste and I were talking about this person while we were examining Touko's body. She told me a bit about Genocide Jack. Apparently he's responsible for committing 1042 unsolved murders, his signature call sign is the phrase Bloodbath Fever and he uses his signature weapon, a pair of Genoscissors to slice through his victims, he also uses them to crucify his victims postmortem."

"You got it wrong there Yuno." Byakuya suddenly said, making everyone look in his direction. He was still staring at the pair of scissors in his hands, for the first time looking a bit nervous.

"Do you know more about this Byakuya?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Do not be fooled. The Togami family holds quite an extensive amount of knowledge in their library. Some of this knowledge includes detailed Police files from various cases within the last three decades. The files that were found in the back of the library detail quite a lot of murders and serial killers, one of them being the unsolved murder cases of Genocide Jack. I spent all of last night and the day before reading up on them." he said.

"That's not creepy at all. A rich guy reading murder case files...not creepy at all." Leon said.

"Do not start making assumptions plebeian. If I read those files it was for my own safety. Yuno and Celeste do have partial information relating to this serial killer, but not all of it. What they missed was what made Genocide Jack dangerous, among men at least. Most of the victims are between the ages of 19 and 32, mostly attractive or rich men that seemed to catch Jack's eye. These men were usually eviscerated, and hung on the walls with scissors similar to these." he said.

"Well...Taka doesn't necessarily fit that description. He was only Seventeen, so Jack wouldn't kill him." Hina said, hope filling her voice.

"Unless Taka surprised him...that makes total sense..the area where Taka was killed looked like a fight had happened. Maybe Jack killed him then hid in the academy." Nick said.

"Except that we searched both accessible floors of the academy and didn't run into him, no matter how good you are at hiding, eventually you'll be found. There is no way you would hide blood dripping off your hands either." Leon replied, running his hands through his hair.

"Let's go back to the scissors. Celeste found more of those attached to Touko's legs, and Touko killed herself...what is the reason behind that?" Sayaka asked.

"It's simple, Touko is Genocide Jack...and this goes back to the information the mole was feeding Monokuma. What if Touko was secretly Genocide Jack and Monokuma had this information, he could easily go to the police with it. She couldn't risk that so she ended up killing someone, but the guilt got to her so she killed herself." Nick said.

"Do you actually believe anti-social Touko would actually be a serial killer? She doesn't look the part." Makoto said firmly.

"Unless she was suffering from some form of mental disease...like Disassociative Personality Syndrome. That would explain why Touko had those scissors...because her split personality was a Serial Killer." Kyoko said.

"She didn't bother to tell us this? If it's true that is."

"Well, think about it Leon, if she walked up to any of us and said she had a split personality that was a Serial Killer, would you honestly believe her?" Yuno asked.

"W-well...I wouldn't." Chihiro said, looking at everyone's faces. Most remained silent, but the answer seemed to be the same.

"See? If she knew you wouldn't believe her then what is the point of telling people?" Yuno asked, looking back at the shy programmer.

"If you all don't mind, we still haven't figured out who stole the gun from the security office. I would like to solve that part first, seeing as we aren't getting anywhere for now." Kyoko said.

"It's a good thing you bring that back up. Something that caught my eye was the shell casing on the ground...it looked rather odd didn't it?" Yuno said.

"It's a damn shell casing, what's so odd about it?" Bryce asked, earning an eye roll from the archer.

"You must have seen the gun at some point, what type of gun was it?" he asked. Bryce pursed his lips, eyes narrowed in thought.

"A Smith and Wesson .38 Special."

"Yes, it is indeed that type of gun. A revolver, and what do revolvers have? Cylinders, I.E. a revolver will not eject a spent shell casing. It makes it more obvious that the scene was staged, and that the person who did it, didn't know that shell casings on Revolvers weren't ejected. It goes along with the information Kyoko most likely has to share as well."

"Well, the information I have doesn't pertain to the gun but...it could lead us to who the real killer is." The purple haired girl said, earning a curious look from the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

"Alright...what do you have to share?" Byakuya said, setting down the scissors onto his stand.

He had honestly been done with them and was looking to get rid of them as fast as he could. Kyoko looked around for a few moments, the silence making everyone cringe a bit. Finally, after the pause, she decided to speak.

"I say, if we wish to figure out who killed Taka, we must retrace his steps." she said.

"Retrace his...that's ludicrous. We don't know what he did between the time we last saw him in the cafeteria and the time he turned up dead." Nick said.

" _Is that true? Do we not know what he was doing?"_ Yuno thought, as he tuned out the others arguing around him.

He glanced at his friends, who were looking back and forth between Byakuya, Bryce and Kyoko and were tossing a few theories around. He locked eyes with Leon, who was sweating a bit, the nervousness most likely getting to him. His eyes widened a bit.

" _Of course...we have that."_

"Actually, we do know what Taka was doing. Leon told me that after the morning meeting was over, he left the cafeteria because everyone asked him to keep an eye on our problem student." he said, glaring at Bryce. The teen chuckled.

"Problem student? Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, I remember now. After Yuno and Bryce's fight, we talked a bit more about the picture, and then Taka said he was going to keep an eye on Bryce." Hina said firmly.

"Meaning that between the time the meeting ended and the time Taka was dead, a good hour and a half, we didn't know what was going on between them." Makoto said, looking back between Bryce and Taka's picture.

"So, care to tell us if he ran into you or not?" Byakuya asked, glancing at the Architect. The teen let out a chuckle, giving a firm nod.

"Yes, he did run into me. Well...more like hunted me down. He declared he wouldn't take his eye off of me where ever I went. We got into a bit of a scuffle in the store room, because he saw the gun sticking out of my pocket." he said.

"So it was you that stole the gun. How long were you going to with hold this information from us?" Celeste asked.

"Until the appropriate time. I like watching everyone play cat and mouse trying to figure out who killed who. Sadly, I wasn't involved in the killing. He took my gun away before I could have any fun scaring the hell out of him. I pushed him back into the shelves and he ended up cutting himself, at that time was then Touko came in, looking for some snacks or something, as soon as she saw the blood, she passed out. I took my leave right then." he said, ending his statement with a grin.

"If this is all true then...it points to Touko being the killer after all." Yuno said, looking at the deceased girl's picture.

"What about the skillet though?" Hina asked, bringing the cooking utensil back into the picture.

"Um...well I was able to conduct an autopsy on Touko's body after we cut the rope and lowered her down. She had a nasty bump on her head, as well as cut on her scalp." Mikan said.

"Well, there's your answer donut girl. Taka hit her with the skillet." Bryce said, crossing his arms over his chest.

" _No...I don't think that happened. The skillet was by the door and Taka was found in the very back of the store room, that means that it must have fallen. Of course."_

"I get it now...I think Touko hit herself with the skillet. She must have gotten sick from seeing Taka's blood and passed out, the skillet could have fallen on her head then. In his worry, Taka probably went to check on her...and that's when...oh god." he said.

"What what?" Sayaka asked, clearly distressed at the look on his face.

"Going back to the idea that Touko had Disassociative Personality Syndrome, if she passed out, would that mean the other personality would be active?" he asked.

"Yes, people with this mental disease experience this all the time, however, neither share memories from the other personality. Usually, the more aggressive personality will take over the body for a long period of time, or until something knocks them out." Mikan said.

"So...if Touko's split personality was Genocide Jack...then does that mean when Jack woke up in her body she killed Taka in her confusion?" Hina asked.

"That seems like the most likely option. Those scissors are quite sharp, it wouldn't be impossible for this scenario to happen." Sakura said.

"Let's take it back another step. What if the skillet didn't hit her until _after_ she had cut Taka's throat open? Taka could have pushed her back, causing the skillet to hit her. That would have brought Touko back, and seeing what she had caused, most likely staged the scene." Yuno said.

"Yes...that does seem like the likely scenario." Byakuya said.

"It goes along with what Yuno was saying about the gun too...she probably didn't know anything about it." Nick added.

" _Yawn_ , I'm getting bored here...have you deliberated enough, get on with the _**Closing Argument**_ already!" Monokuma asked, leaning back against his seat.

"Just another few minutes. I think I can put it all together now." Yuno said, closing his eyes to put the scenario together. He took a deep breath, eyes opening.

"Alright then, here's how I think it went down. After the morning meeting, Taka had agreed to keep an eye out on Bryce as everyone still believed he was a danger to them all. With the new motive, everyone also thought he was the likely candidate to be the mole. I think Taka deep down knew this as well, and let his Morals get the better of him. This caused him to track down Bryce and keep a literal eye on him, following him everywhere.

Bryce of course got annoyed at being followed, and when he went to the store room to get a snack, he finally confronted Taka about it. Mid conversation, Taka must have noticed the gun, and reached for it, only for Bryce to react instinctively. He pushed the teen back against the shelves, knocking everything down in the process. He also didn't notice the gun had slipped out of his pocket either.

During all of this, Touko probably walked in, trying to find a snack for herself when she saw Bryce walk out of the store room. She probably saw Taka's blood and ended up passing out. Taka, fearing for her safety, decided to see if she were safe. That's when Jack woke up, and in fear and shock at seeing Taka so close, cut his throat open with her Genoscissors. Taka probably backed away, trying to stop the bleeding and when Jack went in to try and finish the job, pushed her back, causing the skillet to hit her in the head. Taka died shortly after.

At this point, Touko woke back up, and seeing the scene knew that it had been her split personality who had killed Taka. The bloody scissors still in her hand, she probably hid them in her holster, which smeared the blood in her hand. She knew that since Genocide Jack had killed someone she would get the blame and be killed, so she staged the scene, shooting Taka in the back of the head and making it look like a suicide. Sadly, she wasn't fully thinking and when she realized the circumstances of the scene before her, she left the store room in a panic.

This was also the time where she headed back to her room, most likely grabbing the bed sheets, which she tied into the rope she would use to hang herself. The guilt about her split personality once again killing someone had gotten to her, and most likely to keep everyone safe, she decided to take her own life, which is why she went to the girl's locker room on the second floor.

Even if someone heard her, only a girl could come in, so no one would be able to help her in time. This case, it was all an accident, an accident that could have been prevented if someone hadn't leaked that information out to Monokuma." he said firmly. He took a deep breath, looking back at the bear.

"The murderer this time is Genocide Jack, Touko Fukawa." he said, looking at the picture of the dead author. Monokuma laughed loudly slamming his gavel onto the chair.

"That's absolutely right. The killer this time around was an actual serial killer. Man, what a riot...since the killer took themselves out before the trial, there is no need to hold the vote, and sadly no execution. However, I will share this juicy tidbit with you all, there was actually no Mole within you. All of that information was information that I already had, isn't that beary sad? Two students died because you all thought there was a mole within you when it was me pulling your strings. I suppose that's the best kind of reward a bear could get. Two for the price of one. Upupupupupu!" the bear cried out, laughing loudly.

"Goddamn it. I knew there wasn't a mole within us...this was all just a ploy to cause paranoia among us, to make us divide ourselves further." Yuno said, slamming his hand onto his stand.

"There's nothing we can do about it now Yuno. Deep down, I knew something like this would happen, but I wasn't sure myself." Makoto said.

"Alright, whoo...that was a laugh. I declare the second Class Trial to be over, everyone can head back up to the academy and get some rest. This case was a bit lackluster, but it was still beary entertaining." Monokuma said. The students took their leave, leaving the two toned bear to laugh his brains out.

 _ **(Class Trial End All Rise)**_

Yuno sat alone at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor. After that last class trial, he didn't really know how to react. While last time, only Junko had been killed, this time Taka had been killed and Touko had killed herself. With Mondo's execution, that made four losses. Four friends who were no longer with them. Sure, Taka could be overbearing at times, and he wished Touko had been more social, more upfront about her secret, but that was all in the past. Every time someone died, it pained his heart, but there was nothing he could do.

Everyone had unanimously agreed to keep the Morning Meeting alive, even though Taka was no longer with them. It gave them all the security they needed and made sure everyone was in fact alive. Thirteen students remained in this vile game, and it had only been eight days since their imprisonment.

He cracked his neck and popped his shoulders, a tired yawn escaping his lips. He glanced up the stairs, something was calling him up there, but he didn't know what. Sighing to himself, he stood up and decided to wonder the empty second floor. Against his better judgment, he decided to go alone. When he got to the foot of the stairs, he looked around at the empty plaza.

It was here where the second year students would hang out before classes, at least he assumed. It was smaller than the first floor plaza, but he only assumed the Third Floor's Plaza was bigger than this one. Wondering around, he headed toward Classroom 2-A, peeking inside, seeing the remains of Leon's little prank, he decided to reset it, so some unsuspecting fool could stumble upon it. At this point, hearing someone laugh was better than seeing them sulk.

After he was done in the classroom, he decided to head back toward the pool. The solitary sound of the filters would most likely do him some good. He wasn't used to being alone, at least he thought so. He took a seat on the bleachers, and looked at the water.

"How did this happen? Four people dead and it hasn't been that long. When are the police going to show up? When is this all going to stop?" he asked to no one in particular. It wasn't like he was going to receive an answer anyway. He sighed and leaned back against the railing, spacing out a bit. He closed his eyes, a jumbled mess appearing in the darkness.

"Come on, we're going to be late!"

"Alright hold your horses Natsumi, I know you want to see your brother's swim meet but no need to pull my arm out of its socket."

The blonde girl, Natsumi Kuzuryuu shook her head angrily, huffing a bit. The freckles hidden by her make up being more visible due to the lighting. She kept pulling him until they made it into the pool. The bleachers had been filled to the brim, but luckily the students of Class 79 had their reserved spots.

She lead him all the way to where their class sat, cheering for their friends who were part of the swim team.

"So, do you think Hina is going to win again?" Natsumi asked, earning a nod from the purple haired boy.

"Of course, she's the Ultimate Swimmer, why wouldn't she win?"

"I think it's highly unfair that they would allow her to compete in this even though we all know she's going to win. She's in four other teams already, might as well change her title to Ultimate Athlete." Natsumi snapped.

"That's already taken by that guy in Class 76 remember?" he asked.

"Miss Natsumi, would you mind if I sit with you?"

The two looked up, seeing a beautiful young woman standing before them. She was wearing a white button down shirt, with a matching red tie. She was also wearing a black pleated skirt, with matching black socks and shoes. Her silver colored hair was set into two tight braids at either side of her head. Her face held little emotion, and her bright red eyes seemed to stare down into their souls. She was wearing a thin pair of glasses, which barely reflected the sunlight streaming into the pool. Natsumi grinned and pushed the purple haired lad aside, clearing a space for the woman.

"Of course Peko, you deserve to see big brother's meet up close." She said.

The woman, Peko gave a curt nod and sat down between the two students, taking he sheathed sword from her back and placing it onto her lap, the sheathed sword was long enough to land on the purple haired teen's lap, but he didn't really mind, he was used to this by now.

"So Peko, how have you been lately?" he asked. The girl gave him a curious look.

"I have been well. My studies are coming along quite nicely, and the Kendo club has been gaining a lot of popularity due to my skills with a sword." she replied.

"Good for you. You know you should follow Fuyuhiko's advice and enjoy yourself a bit more. High School is supposed to be the best years of our lives, and you are already a Third year. One more year and you are out of this academy. Then what will you do?" He asked.

"I will follow my young master where ever he decides to go. After all, I am his tool." she said.

"Ugh...this again. Listen Peko, I know our family can be overbearing at times, but you need to let that go. Big brother Fuyu doesn't need a tool, he needs a friend, and maybe a good wife by his side. I wouldn't mind having you as a sister in law." Natsumi said, giving Peko a wink. Even though she kept her stoic look on her face, she couldn't stop the blush that had dusted her cheeks.

"Oh look, their taking their positions." He said, looking at the boys swim team which all stood at their spots.

Fuyuhiko, Natsumi's older brother stood at the seventh spot, looking straight ahead. He didn't know how it was that he had joined the swim team, but it seemed like the young Yakuza had taken quite a liking to the sport, even if he didn't admit it.

"Whooo...Fuyuhiko, kick some ass. Ibuki will sing you a ballad so you win." the resident Musician shouted out, strumming the strings of her guitar.

"Shut up, and sit down." Fuyuhiko shouted, trying not to lose his focus. The referee held his hand up, whistle in his mouth.

He lowered his hand, blowing the whistle loudly as the seven boys dove into the pool.

Yuno suddenly snapped back into reality, looking around at the empty pool room. He hadn't fallen asleep, more like he had been in a trance. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to shake himself back into reality. He stood up, looking around the area, but he saw nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"What the hell was that? Was that a memory? Or was my mind trying to fuck with me?" he asked aloud.

He was shaking a bit, his hands shaking as if he had just crawled out of a snowstorm. That couldn't have been a dream, it was real. He felt it, he heard their voices, felt their warmth, the sunlight, the sounds the people...it couldn't have been another dream. That was a memory, a memory of his time at Hope's Peak Academy. He was confused, very confused by everything. He didn't know what was going on, but he was scared.

" _What happened to them all? That was Natsumi Kuzuryuu, how could I forget her? She's been my friend since we started the school year. She's the sister of the Ultimate Gangster, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. That girl, Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman, and Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician...I wouldn't forget them, they were our friends, our upperclassmen...if that's the truth then where are they?"_

"Yuno, there you are, you had us worried sick."

He looked up, looking at Sayaka and Makoto who entered the pool room, their faces turning from worry to relief in a fraction of a second. They stopped at the foot of the bleachers, looking at the Ultimate Archer, who still stood there shaking. His breathing was ragged and he was sweating quite a bit. He felt a little faint, like he would pass out any minute, and his stomach was threatening to spill its contents.

"Yuno, are you alright man? You don't look too good." Makoto said. Yuno met his gaze, the Ultimate Lucky Student becoming worried once more.

"Sweetie, your starting to scare me." Sayaka said, taking his hand. He shook his head, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I remembered a bit of my past. A school memory...but I don't know if it's real or not. I want to believe it is, but seeing the academy like this...I can't seem to believe it. My mind tells me it's fake but my heart tells me it's real. I don't know what to do." he said firmly.

"Calm down, and take a seat. Makoto get Mikan up here, and bring some water." Sayaka said.

"Sure thing, I'll be back soon." he said, taking off out of the pool room. Sayaka looked back at Yuno, who was still shaking a bit. She took his hands in her own, looking at him firmly.

"Listen, you need to breathe okay? I don't want you passing out on me. Steady your heartbeat and breathe." she said.

He nodded, taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. His shaking slowed down a bit, and he wasn't sweating as profusely. She smiled, kissing his lips.

"Good, now...carefully, tell me what you saw."

"It was here...in the academy. It was a swim meet, I don't know which school we were facing, but the boys and girls were getting ready for the competition. I was dragged here by Natsumi, her older brother, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu was one of the students in the meet. We were talking about who would win. Hina was also in the competition for the girl's team, and we were arguing about her becoming the Ultimate Athlete instead, due to her being in so many sports teams at once."

"Hmm, that does sound like Hina...what other things did you remember?" She asked curiously. He closed his eyes, loosing himself in thought.

"Well, another friend and upperclassmen Peko Pekoyama sat with us, watching Fuyuhiko start his race, while Ibuki Mioda, another upperclassmen and the Ultimate Musician strummed her guitar and cheered him on. It felt so real and I just...I don't know what to do Sayaka." he said.

She looked at him curiously, trying to process what she had heard. Her eyes were closed tightly, but no matter how hard she thought, she didn't recognize any of the names he had said. She didn't know these people, didn't know what they looked like, their titles, their hobbies. Nothing came to mind, but when she looked at Yuno, she couldn't help but believe him, it wasn't her intuition speaking this time, it was her heart. She believed with all her heart that he was telling the truth.

"I believe you Yuno. If you saw something like that, in so much vivid detail, then that means it's true. But you know what this means right? If it's a memory from the past, from this school, that means that the picture you found is genuine. Something freaky is going on in this academy, something that we aren't aware of yet. I can wholeheartedly tell you that this is my first year being in this academy, but if we go by our classes, then that means I'm your upperclassmen." she said.

"I know...I just want to know the reason why we were brought here. Why this horrible game was instilled on us. Three members of the 79th class, one from the 77th and Thirteen from the 78th. Why our classes? Where is everyone else? Why are we important?" he asked.

Sayaka leaned forward, kissing him firmly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let her go. She pulled away, burying her face in his chest.

"We'll figure it out. We have too...but the way things are going, I fear there won't be many of us left that will be able to do that."

"Guys, I'm back. Leon and Celeste came as well." Makoto said.

With him, he brought Mikan along with the water Sayaka had asked for. Leon and Celeste trailed behind them, worried about their friends well being. Sayaka stepped away, allowing Mikan to work quietly.

"Does anything hurt Yuno? Are you dizzy? Nauseous?" she asked.

"I'm fine Mikan, honest. I'm just tired from all of this." he said.

He groaned a bit from the bright light being shined in his eyes, but he didn't stop the nurse from going over her check list.

"The stress is getting to all of us, and now that four people have passed on, it's becoming more and more hopeless." Leon said, looking at the ground.

"This game...it's not turning out in our favor." Celeste added.

"Guys, we can't lose hope. I know things are looking bad, but look at us. We all stuck together, even when the threat of a mole being among us was given to us. We persevered. Sure, we lost two more people today, but we can't give up, or else their deaths will be in vain. If we lay down and fall to despair, then the person who did this to us will end up the winner. When we fall into despair, we won't be able to come back from it. I don't want my friends to die because of it." Makoto said firmly.

"He's right...we need to work together. No matter how much it hurts and no matter how stressful it becomes. Until we know for sure that we can't get out of this hellhole, we have to fight, tooth and nail if we have to. Giving up hope is falling into despair, and we can't do that." Yuno said firmly.

"Here here." Celeste said happily.

"Truer words have never been said." the baseball player added. Mikan sighed happily, going through her checklist once more.

"It seems you are in perfect health. The shock from the memory resurfacing must have frightened you a bit. Would you mind explaining it to us?" Mikan asked, earning a nod from the teen.

He then went on to explain everything to his friends, in detail. None of them understood what it meant, but they all felt the same thing Yuno did. It had to be real, that also meant that something was going on in the academy that made them so they had forgotten everything.

"I just can't believe something like that would happen. Maybe the academy's Steering Committee is behind this...I never liked them much." Leon said.

"I doubt it, but they have done some shady things in the past. They were also responsible for not giving several students their appropriate titles in the past, and several students were terminated in the past for no reason. It may sound like something they would do." Celeste added, getting hesitant nods from the others.

"I couldn't find anything on the Steering Committee when I looked up the forums before coming here last week. I could barely get any information on most of the students in my class." Makoto said.

"Who knows what's going on right now? With everything that's going on, I'm willing to bet the real headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy is behind this. That bastard is the highest authority this academy has, so he would definitely do something like this." Leon snapped angrily.

"We won't know that until we find out more information about this academy. Two people died and the second trial happened, that means that the Third Floor will be available for exploration soon...we may find something there." Yuno said, keeping his hopes up.

"It's sick you know...using our friends deaths to further fuel our escape from this place. It's disgusting." Sayaka said. Yuno sighed, kissing the back of her hand.

"What else can we do? If we want a chance to get out of here, we must use their deaths to fuel our escape. They laid down their lives, so we have to do what's best to get out of here, for them." Makoto said.

"I agree with you little dude. But we won't get out of here if we don't all work as a unit. Our little group should serve as an example of what we could all do if we worked together." Leon said.

"As if the others would agree to follow our example. Byakuya is to arrogant, Nick is too clueless and Bryce...heh...we can't even trust him." Celeste said.

"Whatever the case, we have to redouble our efforts and search this place top to bottom as thoroughly as we can. We may have missed something." Sayaka said.

"We already searched the first floor entirely when we were looking for Junko's missing handbook, we might as well do the same on the second floor. Throw caution to the wind, use every trick in the book, hell if you think one of the bookshelves has a secret room behind it, take the books off the shelves until you find it. We need to get out of here one way or another, besides it's not against Monokuma's rules to destroy school property." Yuno said with a grin.

"Oh yeah, I like how you think. Alright then, let's all split up and search the second floor." Leon said excitedly.

Yuno stood up, taking a sip from his water. He gave the bottle to Sayaka, along with a kiss on the cheek.

"How about you and Makoto search together this time around? I don't want to get distracted while I search." he said. She puffed her cheeks, looking away in annoyance.

"I swear, if it had been another reason I would slap you really hard." she said.

"Sure you would, Leon and Celeste will be team two and me and Mikan make up team three. We search everywhere thoroughly and switch spots every half hour to make sure we cover everything. We find something, share it with everyone. Me and Sayaka already made the mistake of keeping it to ourselves with that picture earlier." he said.

"Alright, our orders have been issued. Time to search." Leon said, placing his fist in the center of their circle.

Yuno bumped his fist to it, followed by Makoto and Sayaka. Celeste rolled her eyes, placing her dainty fist next to Sayaka's followed by Mikan who was the last one. After a loud cheer, they all split up to being the extensive search of the second floor.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Ugh...this turned out against me again. Why aren't they full of despair yet?" Junko snapped, glaring at the screen.

The six students who had become the closest so far, were searching around with hope filled faces. Mukuro remained silent, just looking at the screen, a weird swelling in her chest. She placed her hand over her healing injury, choking it up to the pain she got every once and a while.

"They're supposed to be sad, moping around, not...whatever this is." Junko continued, angry that her plans weren't going according to plan. Why had she bothered making that plan if she wasn't going to follow it? The despair of it all seemed to be keeping her steady, so she wasn't that mad.

"Perhaps, they realized that working together would aid them in finding a way out. Our friends are stronger than you give them credit for Junko, they aren't going to take this lying down." Mukuro replied. Junko glared at her, face contorted into anger.

"Shut the fuck up Mukuro. You have no idea what you are even saying...no matter, even if this last motive didn't quite work in our favor, perhaps the new one will." she said with a haughty grin.

"Junko, you do realize that Yuno is regaining bits of his memory right? He remembered the swim meet, the last swim meet before...well you should know well enough." Mukuro said.

"I know, and it was amazing seeing his look of shock and disbelief. The despair etched on his face as he waged an internal battle, should he believe the memory? Or disregard it all together? True or false? Oh, it was amazing. If he keeps getting more of them, it will cause him even more despair." she said.

"What if he remembers the tragedy?" Mukuro asked curiously. Junko turned to her sister, a wide grin on her face. She brought her hands up close to her face, giving her sister a cutesy look.

"Then it shall be up to Muku to wipe his memory again. Yup yup, you will do it." she said in a cute voice.

"Of course Junko. Just leave it to me." she replied, her stoic look returning to her face. She fiddled with a long strand of hair, twirling it around her finger, which was still decorated with her fake red nails.

"Don't give me that shit now Mukuro, I love the despair you bring me, but remember, you are only here because I may need you down the line. If you fail me, I will shove you back into the game and make you play by the rules." Junko threatened.

Mukuro swallowed hard, giving her sister a nod. Junko giggled, returning to her previous persona. It had been so long that Mukuro didn't even know which persona was the real Junko.

"Since there wasn't an execution this time around, are you going to open the Third Floor?" Mukuro asked curiously.

"Hmm...I might as well. They want to get out of here so badly that instilling false hope in them will be good. That way, if they do manage to get out of here to the outside, they will lose all of that hope and fall into despair. The ultimate despair that we so delicately crave." she said with a giggle. Junko suddenly stood up, a stoic look on her face.

"Time to make a letter of the alphabet. Why don't you go down to the Third Floor and check to see if everything is in place?" she said, tossing her the master key. Mukuro easily caught it in her hand.

"You trust me that much sister?" she asked.

"Of course not, I have a tablet with me so I can keep an eye on you while I'm on the shitter. You can run along if you want, but any funny business and I'll spear you like a pig." she said with a grin.

Grabbing her tablet, Junko disappeared into the hallway outside of the Data Processing Room. The Fourth Floor was still locked and their friends wouldn't find them any time soon. She looked at the master key in her hand, sighing a bit.

" _Taka and Touko died today in such a horrible fashion. I wasn't expecting Genocide Jack to actually kill someone. She had been doing so well to keep that side of her hidden too. I'm starting to wonder why I even signed up for this. I may have done some bad things in the past, but is Junko's love even worth it at this point?"_

She stood up, her long bleached blonde hair falling down her shoulders. She had grown it out, bleached it and styled it for the plan that Junko had created. In order for it to work, she had to leave Mukuro Ikusaba behind, and become Junko Enoshima.

But was letting go of who she was worth it? All for the sake of despair? She walked out of the Data Processing room, heading toward the stairs that would lead to the Third Floor. She slipped the key into the slot and turned it, willing the gate to open. Once it had opened enough, she slipped underneath it, taking the key and shutting the gate from the other side just in case. She felt her sister's gaze through the cameras, and didn't dare act out of line.

She thought back on everything, on everyone. The world had been such a peaceful place before Junko had caused despair. She had been a second into falling down into it, but she had been saved, by Makoto's genuine smile.

It had been the first time anyone had ever smiled at her the way he did. When Yuno had offered his friendship to her, she had finally gotten what she wanted in life, not a comrade who would watch her back on the field, but a genuine friend, who she could talk to, and share her experiences with. Even if she was a bit stern and lacked the emotions other girls her age should have had, she was still happy, even if she didn't show it.

" _Could it be that...perhaps I never fell into despair? And I was just following an objective? An order that my sister had given me?"_ she thought to herself.

She finished looking through the Art storage room, all of the tools her sister had deliberately left behind still in their place, she headed back through the Plaza, passing by the Arcade that had been built into the academy years prior for the Ultimate Gamers to enjoy. She entered the Physics Lab, seeing the large Towa Industries Air Purifier, humming away as it purified the air around them. Without it, the academy would be inhabitable, according to her sister anyway.

She thought back to her previous question. If she had indeed been following an objective, then she truly wasn't an Ultimate Despair. Everything that she had been doing was because her sister asked her too. She had been doing things that caused her despair yes, but it was because her sister asked her to. It was to get her love and attention. She didn't want to fail her sister again.

Closing the doors to the Lab, she moved onto the Recreation Room, making sure that the Billiards tables had all of their sticks in place as well as the colored balls. The room itself had been retiled, with bright blue tiles as opposed to the white ones that once comprised the room. It had been made this way to give a calming effect.

The students would be living in the academy for the rest of their lives after all. She herself still couldn't believe everything that had happened. After making sure everything was in place, she closed the door, and headed toward the bathrooms, making sure everything was in place there.

She walked into the Girls bathroom first, noticing that everything was left as it should have been. She quickly left it, and entered the Boys bathroom, checking everything as well. She stopped in front of the mirror, looking at herself. She didn't look like the Ultimate Soldier, instead she looked like the Ultimate Fashionista, even with her hair down past her waist.

She wasn't wearing any make up, so her freckles could easily be seen. She also wasn't wearing any foundation on her hand, so her Fenrir tattoo was still fully visible. She had been wearing nothing more than a white see through blouse, a red polka dotted skirt and a pair of boots that matched the ones her sister always wore. She also wore a white polka dot tie around her neck, which hung loosely as the knot wasn't tightened around her neck. She was also wearing a lacy black bra with a pink outline, clearly visible through her shirt. She brushed a few of her bangs out of her eyes, the color silver looking back at her.

"Heh, if Taka got a look at me now, he would give me so many pink slips, I could make a dress out of them." she muttered quietly.

But he was dead and gone. Another of her friends killed in cold blood, even if it was an accident. She sighed, shaking those thoughts out of her head. She realized then, that she wasn't like her sister. Despair hadn't hit her as hard as she thought it did.

She wanted to help her friends, but she didn't know how to do that. She looked at the key in her hand, an idea forming in her mind. She couldn't make it to obvious or her sister would find out. She walked over to one of the stalls, and pulled out her survival knife, something her sister had let her keep for some reason or another, pulling it out of its sheath, she scratched a message into the door, deep enough so that it could be seen.

" _Hisashi Kirigiri Class 79."_

Nodding to herself, she cleaned the paint off the tip of her knife and placed it back in it's sheath, tucking it into her blouse. That name had meaning to it, and she knew a certain Ultimate Detective would be able to figure it out, especially since it was the name of someone dear to her, someone she would never forget, a person who was closer to her than even she herself would realize.

Mukuro Ikusaba would do her damnedest to help her friends out of this predicament, if she had to rejoin the game, then she would do it, even if it drove her away from her beloved little sister.

 _ **(Chapter 2 Divided We Fall Deadly Life End)**_

 _ **Remaining Students 14**_


	11. Chapter 3 Act 1: Selling our Hope

**A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come. We are now entering the Third chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. Man, what a ride this story has been, I've had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you are all enjoying it, I haven't gotten any negative reviews yet so I'm assuming you all are. Act 1 of Chapter 3 is where the seriousness gets kicked up a notch. There will be a lot of information as well as exposition and character development, and I hope you all like what I've come up with. After the rollercoaster that was chapter 2, I decided to make this as thrilling as I could, so strap into those seats, because the rollercoaster isn't done with it's ride. Chapters 3-5 will most likely be the high point of the story, as a lot will be revealed. There is also a lot of foreshadowing in this single act alone, so if you think you can figure some of the secrets out, I will give you a shout out. Recently, the anime has also been getting good, and the biggest plot point and a personal theory of mine was just confirmed and I am losing my shit, so for now, I leave you with this hopefully delicious despair inducing chapter, and I hope to hear from you. May the stars be with you!**

 **Update: 6/27/17: Chapter 3 Act 1 has been edited...Chapter 3 will contain various grammar fixes as well as some added stuff. I have fixed Natsumi's name, as well as added a few things to the final Act of Chapter 3...so I hope you all enjoy it...it mostly remains the same, but it should be a good referesher. I will also let you all know not to read The School Life of Mutual Killing Part 2, as I will be taking that down. However I will be leaving it up for now so I can copy the chapter order...since that half of the story contains most of Hiyoko's side story, I need to see in what order I posted them so I can post them in that fashion once more. All of Hiyoko's side has been edited, all that remains is to edit Chapters 4-6 and this story will be complete.**

Danganronpa

The High School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 3

Act 1

Selling our Hope

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

Two more days had passed since the class trial, and the passing of Taka and Touko, and so far everyone was regaining their hopeful aura. Everyone had decided to keep going to the morning meeting, to at least keep Taka's memory alive and to ensure that everyone was well. Yuno had stopped taking his long showers after the morning announcement and had started taking them after the morning meeting. Even without the upbeat voice of Taka, the remaining Thirteen Students had at least come to the mutual agreement to search the academy as much as they could for clues. They had also decided to share everything with each other, to prevent something like the previous motive to get the better of them.

As such, Yuno had decided to reveal his amnesia to everyone.

At first, they were all shocked to hear this, as they weren't expecting to hear something like this. Of course, people like Bryce and Byakuya threw in their comments, saying that amnesia was too convenient, and that he could be planning something sinister behind their backs. A stern verbal lashing from Sayaka shut them up rather quickly.

He also decided to share his most recent memory, of the Swim Meet. Hina of course didn't remember anything of the event, and had insisted he dreamed up the whole thing. No matter how many times he recited it, no one would believe him. Of course he knew this would happen, he had no solid proof of this ever happening, so his words were just that, words.

Even though everyone had decided to be more open with each other, there were people clearly withholding information. Chihiro being one of them, as she told them all that she was rather busy with a certain project. When asked further she clammed up, not wanting to answer. No one believed sweet little Chihiro would be planning anything bad, but of course with the way the game was turning out, no one could be too sure. Bryce had made it a personal mission to keep an eye on the programmer, much to her dismay.

The morning meeting had come to an end, and everyone had decided to enjoy their breakfast. Yuno of course had remained silent...his efforts to find any clues on the second floor had led him to another wall. There was nothing else to be discovered there. His earlier assumption that the Third Floor would be open soon had also worried him. Since there wasn't an execution, Monokuma would most likely deem their last case void of a reward and the Third Floor would remain closed until an actual execution occurred.

He sighed, taking a sip of his tea, calming down a bit. There was always left overs when he made it for Celeste, so he had been taking advantage of it and consuming it himself, and he had become quite relaxed during the day. Leon leaned back in his seat, playing with his goatee.

"So...what do you think will happen now?" he asked.

"Whatever do you mean Leon?" Celeste asked, setting down her tea cup. He shrugged, fixing his collar a bit.

"I mean us. The Third Floor hasn't opened up yet, meaning for it to happen, an execution needs to take place. We didn't find jack on the second floor, and I don't want to take a risk just to get the next floor to open." he said.

"That maybe true, but we have to keep our hopes up. We'll get out of here some other way." Makoto said brightly.

"That's right. We can't give up now." Mikan added happily.

Yuno smiled warmly. The nurse had come so far since they've been trapped in the academy. When he had first met her, she had been shy and nervous around everyone, but since she had made friends and gotten some confidence back, she had become very brave and independent. He was really proud of her for that achievement alone. He felt someone's hand take his own, and he looked to his left, seeing the smiling face of Sayaka, who gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Well, at least they have the right attitude." Byakuya noted, pushing his glasses up his nose.

He had been sitting alone since Touko's passing, and he hated to admit it, but he missed her company, even if all he did was insult her. He genuinely wanted to get to know her, but when he discovered she was a Serial Killer, he couldn't help but fear for his life. He had blamed it all on the circumstances of the game, but he hated to admit to himself and to the others that he was being a coward. Hina stood up from her seat next to Sakura, her sizable chest bouncing a bit.

"Makoto and Mikan are right. We won't lay down without a fight, we won't go quietly into the night, we will fight back, no matter what it takes." she said.

"Quoting movies eh? I didn't think you were the kind of girl to do that Fish Girl." Nick said, quite surprised with the tan swimmer. She grinned brightly, placing her hands at her hips.

"Of course, I hate to admit it but I am a major cinephile. My favorite actor is Jason Statham." she said.

"No fucking way! Really?" Nick cried out, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, he's an awesome actor. His accent makes his movies so freaking intense, and he's so dreamy...oh I wish I could be in one of his movies, even if I was just an extra. Maybe I could sneak onto one of his sets and deliver him some donuts." she said.

"Even if you got onto one of his movies as an extra, I'm sure all you would bring him would be nothing but a cringe worthy performance and stale donuts." Bryce said. Everyone glared at him.

"Wow, rude much?" Hina asked.

Sakura stood up from her seat, a hardened glare on her face. The teen looked at her and shook his head standing up, and stretching his limbs.

"Whatever, all of this useless conversation bores me. I'm gonna go to the gym to play some basketball, if anyone cares. Also try not to eat so many donuts sweetheart, it all goes to your huge tits. Those things are already bursting from your shirt, we don't need that to happen do we?" he said smugly as he made his way out of the cafeteria. Hina gasped, covering her chest with her arms.

"My boobies are not that big. If anything all of those donuts go to my ass and not my boobs." Hina said.

"That's not exactly a good thing either dear. Don't let him get under your skin." Celeste said with a sickly sweet smile.

"Celeste is right. You are a fit young woman and even if you have a love of sweets, it will not hinder your shapely body." Sakura said.

"Aw, thanks Sakura, and thanks Celeste, it means a lot to hear you say that." Hina said, smiling brightly.

"Well, since we aren't doing anything else, why don't you and I head into the kitchen Hina? I can show you how to make donuts. Sakura can join us as well." Nick said with a smile. Her face lit up, and she literally seemed ready to burst. She calmed down, taking a deep breath.

"What would be wonderful Nick. I would love it if you would show me how to make my own delicious donuts." she said, though her voice betrayed her excitement.

"I will be unable to join you two. I was planning on lifting some weights today to prevent losing anymore muscle. I wish we could find some protein supplements in this academy." Sakura said, sadly.

As she was about to leave, the monitor flashed to life, grabbing everyone's attention. Monokuma sat back in his seat, a grin on his face. As usual, he was holding a glass filled to the brim with wine. Could the bear even consume that? Or was it for show? Yuno didn't know nor did it interest him much, he simply sighed, and glared at the television screen.

"Well, it seems I have been able to catch your full attention. That's great...how is everyone's week going?" he asked.

"Will you get onto it already? We have no time for your useless prattle." Byakuya snapped, glaring angrily at the television screen.

"Jeez, I was just trying to bond with my students. No matter, I have been deliberating with myself over the past few days on whether or not to give you access to the third floor. Due to the lack of an execution, I was thinking not to give to you until a proper execution was held, but that would be boring, and besides, there are a lot of neat things up there. So, as of now the Third Floor is open for exploration, I hope you have fun. There are some beary interesting things up there. Ta-ta."

With that, the screen died out, and the sound of a metal grate lifting filled their ears. Leon and Yuno shared a look, the former bearing a grin on his face.

"Hey Yuno, want to check out the classrooms with..."

"No." Yuno said, standing up.

"Aw come on, don't be like that. Don't you think it'll be..."

"No." he said cutting him off once more. Leon sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Alright, whatever. Hey Makoto, wanna check out the.."

"Sorry man, I want to check it out with Mikan. I want to get to know her better, sorry dude." Makoto said, walking off with Mikan who seemed rather curious as to why he had picked her.

Leon soon realized he had been left alone, the only two remaining being Nick and Hina who were going back and forth about Jason Statham movies. He sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Guess I'm alone today. I've got my life laid in front of me like roads drawn on a map. I've had so many times where I've stepped off that beaten path..." his voice started getting quieter as he left the cafeteria. Nick shrugged looking back to Hina, trying to hold back the blush threatening to break out on his face.

"Wanna head to the back now? We can explore later." he offered. Hina grinned happily, taking a hold of his hand.

"Come on, I wanna make my own pink sprinkles." she said excitedly, pulling him along.

Yuno and the others made it up to the third floor, noticing that the lighting was much the same as the rest of the academy. The first thing that he took notice off was the door in front of the stairs, which read Recreation Room. The hallway split in two, leading to the other parts of the floor. While the others went to explore on their own, Yuno and Sayaka decided to check out the Rec Room, since it was right in front of them.

"Maybe we can find some games or something to entertain ourselves with. If we don't find a way out that is." he said.

"Honestly Yuno, I don't think we will find anything on this floor, and even if we did, we're three stories up, what are we gonna do jump?" she asked.

"Yeah, we can hope a tree will be in the way to break our fall." he said with a grin. She huffed, brushing past him toward the Rec Room. She opened the door and looked inside.

The room was rather large, and decorated with several shelves, most holding board games while others held magazines and game manuals. The window in that room was of course blocked by an iron plate, which seemed to lower their morale a bit.

Yuno took notice of the large screen television mounted onto the wall, with several Next Gen game systems hooked up to it. The shelves underneath it contained a wide array of games, most being retro games, which could still be played on the more outdated box television on the other side of the room. Two billiards tables were placed in the room, ready to be used, and well as a large poker table, which he knew Celeste would absolutely enjoy. There was a mini fridge in there as well as a leather couch. Yuno let out an impressed whistle.

"Man, Hope's Peak knows how to accommodate it's students." he said, walking deeper into the room.

Sayaka made her way to the very back of the room, where she saw a large Jukebox, which was glowing in a wide array of colors. She also saw a Karaoke machine a few feet away from it, as well as a large boombox with several CD cases underneath it. She wondered over to it, flipping through a few CDs. She grabbed one of them, eyes widening.

"Who the fuck listens to this crap?" she suddenly cried out, making Yuno bump into the shelf in front of him. He ended up knocking a few retro games to the floor. He glared at his girlfriend as he bent down to pick them up.

"What seems to be chapping your ass sweetheart?" he asked distastefully as he started placing the games back on their proper shelf.

"This...this is what is _chapping_ my ass, as you so eloquently put it. Just look at this horse shit!" she snapped.

Yuno looked up, spotting the CD in her hand. It happened to be CD titled Kidz Bop's Greatest Hits. He let out a laugh as he put all of the games back.

"It's not funny Yuno. I totally hate this crap, and I'm not hating on these kids, some of these kids are really sweet, but the music is crap, and it gets ruined. They make good songs sound like _shit_. Like have you heard their version of Thrift Shop?" she asked, face contorted into anger. Yuno chuckled softly and walked up to her, taking the CD from her hands. He placed a kiss on her lips, calming her down a bit.

"Sweetheart, if you don't like it than just toss it. We can gather them all up and take them to the incinerator. Then you can watch with glee as they all turn into smoldering ash and plastic floaty things." he said.

"That actually sounds like a good stress reliever. We can do that later." she said with a grin, taking the CD from his hands.

He rolled his eyes and turned to the music rack, looking through the albums. One of them caught his eye and he grabbed it from the shelf, a smile on his face.

"Aw, I didn't think you would look so cute in this." he said, causing Sayaka to turn around.

Her eyes widened when she saw one of her CDs in his hands. It was her first album, back when she was still fourteen years old. She was wearing a bright green dress of sorts, the top accenting her then developing breasts nicely. The ruffled skirt was white and green and seemed to be hiked up a bit too high for her tastes. She was also wearing bright green knee boots, which were bedazzled with green and pink gems. She had a heart of gems around her right eye, her left closed in a wink.

She held a microphone in her hand, decorated with a green ribbon. Her hair was in a side ponytail, held up with a large green bow. Behind her was her idol group, dressed in a similar fashion, with her sister giving a wide grin to the camera, flashing a peace sign. She blushed a bit, swiping the disc from his hands.

"Don't tell anyone about this one. I was young and it was my first real album, I don't want people teasing me for how cheesy I look." she said.

"You don't look cheesy sweetie, you look adorable. I wouldn't mind it if you wore your idol get up around the school, it would brighten everyones lives up a bit, just like you brightened mine." he said. Sayaka's face went from pink to cherry red, and she was honestly considering what he said. He shook his head, turning around.

"Of course that's if you feel up for it. I won't hate you if you don't, however I want to hear your music...I'm not exactly sure if I heard you before all this or not, so I would like to hear your music at least once." he said.

"S-sure...I'll give you a live performance...if we ever get access to a music room that is." she said, a bit dejectedly.

"Just sing it without any instruments...I'm sure your voice sounds lovely without them. Besides I think you should at least do some vocal practice for when we eventually get out of this place. I'm sure your die hard fans will want to see you up on that stage again." he said.

"You are right...okay...I'll start practicing later on tonight and I'll sing you a song, just for you of course." she said with a wink.

"There's my idol. Come on, lets check out the other stuff on this floor." he said.

She nodded, setting her CD back onto the rack, for now she wouldn't care if anyone else saw her like that. She was proud of being an idol and wanted her friends to enjoy her music as well.

"Wow, check this thing out." Makoto said, walking into the Physics Lab.

The room was large, and had several sensitive items located with in it. Several large stations were located all over the room, along with large green electrical panels. Large computer stations could be seen all over the room, and there was a huge walkway in the room as well. However the biggest thing in the room was the large machine in the center of the room, that seemed to be doing something.

"I wonder what it is?" Mikan said, going up to the control panel. Makoto took her hand, pulling her away from it.

"Don't...you don't know what it does." he said.

"You're right, I'm so stupid." she said dejectedly.

"No you aren't. I just don't want you to get hurt...I am curious at what this does though." he said.

"An interesting query indeed." the voice of their captor said, entering the room. Mikan let out an eep, and tightly grabbed onto Makoto's arm. Monokuma let out a loud laugh, shaking his head.

"Don't just come at us like that jeez." Makoto snapped.

"Don't get your ahoge in a knot. I came here with answers, what you are both looking at is a Time Machine, capable of taking you to any time period you want." he said.

"Seriously?" Makoto asked, eyes filled with hope. He looked back at the machine, a grin on his face.

"Hehe, sorry. I was lying...this is actually an air purifier, which was created by the Ultimate Physicist. She was quite a genius that one...I recommend not touching anything, that thing is what's keeping all of us alive and if it goes kaputz...well...you'll be wishing for the sweet release of death to come, but it will get to you rather slowly." he said, a grin on his face.

"Greeeaaat." Makoto said, backing away from the large machine.

"Listen, this machine is beary important so please refrain from touching it. Everything else is fair game, so feel free to touch it all, might I interest you in the formaldehyde in the back?" Monokuma asked.

"No thanks, I'm not gonna mess with chemicals like that." Makoto said. Monokuma shook his head, heading toward the door.

"Whatever, I thought I would push you in the right direction, but to each their own." he said, and with that he left the lab, the doors closing behind him. Makoto shrugged and started looking around, heading toward the storage room in the back.

"Anything interesting?" Mikan asked when he took a peek into the other room.

"No...just a bunch of shelves lined up with some physics equipment. I'm really curious to see what it all does, but I was never a physics nut." He said, closing the door to the other room.

Mikan wondered around near the front of the room. She spotted something in the corner of her eye, and walked over to it. On top of one of the long tables, was a bedazzled digital camera. It looked like an old model, and had scuff marks on them. It had little heart stickers on it and was bright pink in color. She picked it up, looking at the anime wrist strap that was attached to it.

"Hey...Makoto...I found a camera." she cried out.

"Really? Does it work?" the brunette asked, looking at the nurse from across the room. She looked it over, quickly finding the power button. She held it down for a few seconds, the screen lighting up. Her face lit up, a smile gracing her lips.

"Yes! We might actually find something that will get us out of here!" she cried out happily.

Makoto stood next to her, waiting for the device to fully boot up. The lens slid out like normal, but when she looked through the memory card, only to find it empty. This quickly dampened her mood.

"Oh man."

"Hey, it's alright. We at least found this camera here and it works perfectly fine. We may not be able to find anymore information, but we can take new pictures now." he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She nodded, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Makoto blushed a bit, becoming nervous. This was the closest he had been to a girl, and he had to admit, Mikan was really cute. He took the camera from her hands and turned it around, aiming it at them.

"How about we take the first picture?" he asked.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course. We need to keep a memento of this experience, even if its a bad one." he said.

"No...I meant, are you sure you want to take a picture with a troll like me? I mean, I'm rather ugly...no one wants to take a picture with me, ever." she said.

"Stop it! I hate it when you degrade yourself, you are a beautiful person with a wonderful personality. Sure you are a little shy, and a bit klutzy at times, but that's what makes you unique. So don't ever call yourself ugly." he said. Her lip quivered a bit, and a few tears slipped from her eyes.

"I'm sorry Makoto. I'm just...so used to hearing that all the time, it makes me happy to hear you speak so highly of me." she said, giving him a smile.

"Well, you are my friend. My adorable little nurse friend, and I want you to live your life to the fullest, a life filled with hope." he said with a grin.

She took the camera from his hand, pointing it at themselves, as she was about to take the picture though, she turned her head, planting a kiss on his lips. His eyes widened, the bright flash blinding him for a split second. She shoved the camera in his hand and turned around, heading toward the door.

"A little gift from me to you." she said with a confident wink. Makoto stood there, blushing madly. The sound of the doors snapped him back into reality.

"Where did she get that sudden burst of confidence?" he asked himself. He looked at the camera, seeing his own shocked expression as she kissed him. He shook his head, a goofy smile on his face, it had been his first kiss after all.

"Wow, look at this place. I wasn't aware Hope's Peak Academy had it's own arcade." Leon said, as he looked all around him.

The largest room on the third floor was actually an arcade, with state of the art video games and retro game arcades. The sounds of the game machines filled their ears the deeper they walked in. Claw machines filled with prizes caught their eyes. The Skee ball machines were blinking wildly, waiting to be played. There was even a DDR machine near the back of the room, as well as a few Mario Kart machines, and several other games.

It was as if he had walked into a Space Center, only it had three times more arcade games. There was another section that was blocked off, but the bright sign spelled out Laser Tag.

"Figures the only fun part of this place would be blocked off." Leon muttered dryly. Celeste giggled, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

"What are you talking about dear Leon? Everywhere you look, there are a lot of fun things to play. The best part of it seems to be the fact that everything takes MonoMono coins, coins that I seem to find everywhere." she said happily.

"I guess, it's just...who really wants their own Monokuma plushie?" he said, glaring at the largest claw machine in the entire arcade.

"Fufufu, there are quite a few games to play and several prizes to win, you don't have to necessarily play that one. I myself will be trying my luck with those Keyhole machines in the back. They have some interesting prizes." she said, walking toward one of them. Leon followed after her, watching the curtain of black hair follow the gambler.

"Um...doesn't having long as hair become troublesome? What if it gets tangles or it touches the ground." he asked curiously.

She stopped, looking at him for a second, still playing with a strand of her hair.

"Hmm, perhaps it has become a bit to long for me to manage. I decided not to tie it up in my usual style for a while, I may as well cut it short for the time being. Hair will always grow back." she said, a small smile on her features.

"Too bad we don't have an Ultimate Hairdresser locked in here with us." He joked, walking over to one of the Gala Omega machines. He pulled out a few spare coins, slipping them into the coin slot.

"We can't always get what we wish for. I'm sure Sayaka will be able to cut it for me. She told me she cuts her split ends all the time." she said.

"Whatever you decide to do with your hair, I'm sure it will look awesome. You look cute with your hair down." he said.

"Cute? Excuse me, did you just call me _cute_?!"

"Shit." he muttered under his breath. He should learn how to pick his words when he was around the Ultimate Gambler.

"Man, this art room is freaking huge." Sayaka cried out, looking into the second largest room on the third floor.

Hope's Peak Academy was world renown for the services it provided for the Arts. Many people had only good things to talk about when mentioning the art room, and Yuno had to agree with them. The entrance to the art room looked almost like the one from an art museum. Taking a peek inside, he saw several well sculpted statues, placed in various places around the room.

There was a large statue of Nio near the entrance, and near the center of the room, there was a statue of Venus the Goddess of Love and Beauty. The wooden tables were covered with various sketch pads and art supplies of all types. In the back of the room was a collage of different drawings and paintings all covering the back wall.

Walking deeper into the room, they instantly caught the scent of stone and paint, which still lingered in the room. There was a ceiling fan in the room, it's blades moving very slowly, barely making a breeze in the room. The two looked around, finding few more busts and small statues, including one of Monokuma, which was very detailed. So detailed in fact that it made Yuno want to break it.

"I don't know about you, but that Monokuma statue is pissing me off." Sayaka said, glaring at the bear statue that was a few feet from where they stood.

"I wouldn't bother with it. If we destroy it, he might take an offense to it and skewer us or something." he said, rubbing the small of her back. She nodded and wondered away from her boyfriend, heading toward the art supply cabinets. Several kinds of paints were stored inside, from water paints to acrylic paints. Brushes and easels were also stored inside. There were paint rollers, X-acto knives and various other supplies she couldn't even name.

"I'll admit, even if this academy is currently our prison and our hellhole for the time being, they have a lot of skill gathering supplies to accommodate it's students." she said.

"If only there was a stage for you to sing on, then it would be better." Yuno said, rubbing his chin, a pensive look on his face.

"You really want to see me perform that badly?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

"I wanna hear my idol sing her heart out. Maybe your music will lift our spirits." he said.

"Upupupu! Too bad there isn't a place around for her to do that though." the shrill voice of Monokuma cried, startling the two. The bear hopped up on the table, and started facing his statue.

"Hot damn! Whoever made this is a god, they got my curves just right." he said, growling at the statue.

"Ugh...did you come here just to stroke your own ego or to tell us something?" Yuno asked.

"Oh right...I did come here to say something. Between you two and me, I will tell you that there is a place where Miss Idol can sing her heart out." he said.

"Seriously?" Sayaka asked.

"Indeed, however, if you want to see that stage then you'll have to kill someone. The Music hall is located on the Fourth Floor...so good luck, you'll sing on it eventually...you know if you live long enough to see it!" he cried out, waddling away just as fast as he appeared.

"I should get used to getting my hopes crushed by that bastard." Yuno muttered, shaking his head. He looked up at Sayaka, offering her a warm smile.

"We'll be fine alright? Hopefully no one else gets killed, I'd rather live here than to see another person die, if it came down to it of course." he said.

"I know we'll be fine. Why don't you go check out the back room? I want to find some pencils and a sketch pad. Maybe I can design a few new dresses for when we get out of here." she said with a wink.

"Sure thing. I'll be back." he said, heading toward the back door. He pushed the door open, disappearing into the storage room.

He noticed, all of the things that were stored there.

Several blank canvases were wrapped in plastic, all stacked near the back of the room. There was also a trolley near the back, which was covered in white dust, most likely from the statues. There was a work desk there as well, and above it hung several wooden mallets, all arranged from smallest to largest. Next to the mallets was a wide array of chisels and other carving tools.

Several wooden stands were placed on the right side of the room, some of them smeared with dried paint. He also noticed a large marble block in the opposite corner. He rubbed his hand on the smooth surface, feeling how cool it was.

"I gotta wash the marble, I gotta date the marble, I gotta be the marble!" he cried loudly, voice echoing through the empty room. Sayaka's laugh filled his ears shortly after as she peeked into the room.

"What the hell?" she asked after she had calmed down.

"I dunno." he replied with a shrug.

"Jeez, you are a real spaz you know." she said. He rolled his eyes, and headed out of the storage room.

"Didja find your sketch pad?" he asked. She nodded, glancing back at the table. He also noticed a bag filled with several colored pencils and crayons.

"I'm sure I'll come up with some really cool designs. It had a name on it though, Erika Del Rio...she sounds familiar." She replied, earning a curious look from Yuno.

"It does...do you know anyone named Emma? Her paintings are all over the place." He said, glancing at the long wall length painting. It looked like a mess of colors, but he could tell it was a visual representation of a Paintball game.

"Nope...but I'm sure we'll find out soon. She's a really good artist!" she said happily. They heard footsteps and looked up, only to scowl when they saw Bryce wondering into the room. He looked up from his blueprints, a scowl appearing on his face.

"So it begins." he mutters.

"Hey man, we don't want any trouble. Honestly this bullshit is sort of overdone, whatever happened in the past, let's just bury it alright?" Yuno asked, trying to be friendly. Bryce scoffed, holding back a laugh.

"Are you deadass right now? Dude, you socked me in the face a few days back in blatant anger. You fucking hate my guys and I literally tried to end you. When is it going to register in that brain of yours that I do not fucking like you." Bryce snapped. Yuno grit his teeth, anger flowing through him.

"Listen, I realized I fucked up in the past and so have you. People are dying, and both times you were involved in their deaths in some way, shape or form. You have talent, a talent that can help us...I'm willing to start off with a clean slate, so why can't you at least make an effort?" he snapped back.

"Oh I see what this is about. You just want to be my friend because I'm the Ultimate Architect, you think I'll be able to find a structural weakness in this building that we can exploit. Well I will have you know that if..no... _when_ I find that weakness, I will exploit it for myself. You can all die in here of old age if you want." he said firmly.

"I don't know if you've paid attention but we are on the third floor, if you find a means to escape here, then how the hell will you get down to the ground?" Sayaka asked.

"Pfft, I'll jump. I might break my legs but who gives a shit? People are bound to be passing by this place as we speak, wondering why the hell its sealed off. I'm sure some curious kid will wonder into the courtyard and find me. I'll be the one who gets the last laugh in the end." he sneered.

"You know what." Yuno said, exhaling through his nose.

He opened his eyes, glaring at the architect. Every muscle in his body was telling him to sock the teen in the face, and not hold back, but his rational side told him other wise. He ran his fingers through his hair, brushing a few bangs out of his eyes.

"I'll be the bigger man here and walk away. I tired making my peace with you but your arrogance is stagnating. We're better off without you anyway, let's go Sayaka." he said, glancing at his girlfriend, while picking up the supplies she had selected.

The Idol on the other hand shook her head, marching right up to the architect, who was a few inches taller than her. He looked a bit intimidating, but she bit back her nervousness.

"We are trying to work together here, to find a means to escape. I don't know why you hate Yuno, but can't you at least listen to what he has to say? Swallow your damn pride and just help us out more. Instead of watching out for yourself." she said.

"Piss off little girl. You don't have the right to talk to me like that, I'll help whoever the fuck I want, it is my choice after all." he said, brushing past her. Sayaka took a firm hold of his arm, pulling him to a stop.

"Don't walk away dammit! I'm not done talking to you."

"But I am, so let me go." he said, yanking his arm out of her hands.

He pushed the girl back, knocking her into the Monokuma statue. Sayaka ended up falling onto the ground, the statue falling on top of her arm a second later. She howled in pain, as her hand had been crushed by the large statue. Yuno dropped the stuff in his hands and ran over to his girlfriend, lifting the statue off her hand.

"What the fuck asshole. You broke her hand!" he shouted back.

The statue's head had come off, and broken into three parts, Sayaka was cradling her injured hand, tears falling from her eyes. Yuno started feeling around, only to get cried of pain back. Sayaka bit her lower lip, trying to hold her cries of pain back.

"Her wrist and hand is broken, all thanks to you. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Yuno shouted, standing back up.

"The bitch deserves it. She shouldn't have fucking grabbed me like that, that'll teach the bitch not to put her hands on me." He said.

"What's going on here? I heard a cry." Leon said, coming into the Art room, followed by Celeste. Sakura and Hina walked in a second later, looking around the room.

"He pushed Sayaka into that statue and it ended up breaking her hand." Yuno said firmly.

"Are serious?" Hina called out. Leon cracked his knuckles, face contorting into a look of sheer anger.

"Alright asshole, I don't give a shit if what you do while we're stuck here, but when you attack my friend's girl, then we have a fucking issue. I'm going to shove my boot so far up your ass the steel toes will become your braces!" Leon exclaimed.

"Stop!" Sayaka cried out.

She stood up from the ground with Yuno's help. She was still cradling her hand, which was rapidly turning purple.

"Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. All it's going to due is cause more stress and more chances for murder. We can't keep acting this way." she said.

"Sayaka, he broke your hand. What if he does something worse? What if he ends up killing you?" Leon asked firmly.

"That won't happen, and if it does, then at least he'll get executed for it. We can't keep acting like we're in grade school, we are all trapped in this academy together. So lets at least act like adults, or if that's too hard, at least act like high school students." she said, wiping her tears away with her shirt. Yuno sighed, swallowing anger. He was more worried about her well being than being angry at the moment.

"I'm gonna take her to the Nurse's office. If any of you see Mikan, please send her my way." He said, lifting the smaller girl into his arms. She groaned a bit in pain, but didn't complain.

Celeste shook her head, her face remaining neutral as her friends disappeared down the hall. She walked into the art room, standing in front of Bryce who was fixing his tie. He looked at her, scoffing a bit.

"What?" he asked.

Instead of a reply, all he got as a firm slap across the face. Before he could even react, she grabbed him by his dick, squeezing it as hard as he could. He gave a high pitched cry of pain, legs quivering. He used the table behind him to keep himself upright.

"I swear to god, if you cause Sayaka, Yuno or any of my friends harm, I will cut your fucking balls off and feed them to you for dinner. Is that understood?" she asked.

"Yes." he replied.

She gave a firm squeeze before letting go, wiping her hand on her dress. She turned around, giving her shocked spectators a sickly sweet smile.

"Well then, I shall be taking my leave. Now that Sayaka's hand has been rendered unusable, I'll need to find someone else to cut my hair." she said.

"Um...I uh...can do that." Hina said, still at a loss for words at what she had witnessed.

"You can? Wonderful...let's go down to the Bath house, Sakura may join us as well if she wishes." the gambler said, walking out of the Art rooms. Leon grimaced.

"Jeez, she's scares me." he said.

"As well she should. She's quite...outlandish." Sakura replied, looking back briefly at Bryce who was on the ground whimpering in pain.

The three students left the art room, not wanting to stay around Bryce any longer.

"Are you really okay Sayaka?" Yuno asked again, glancing at his girlfriend who was sitting at one of the beds in the Nurse's office. The blue haired idol gave a nod, sniffling a bit.

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore." she said.

Mikan came back from the other room, placing the X-Ray she had just taken onto the light panel in the back of the room, turning the light on. Mikan winced a bit when she saw the results. Sayaka's wrist was broken in three places, and her hand was fractured in two. Thankfully, her arm hadn't been crushed by the statue, but she wouldn't be able to use that hand for a while.

"Well, it could be worse Sayaka. Looks like it's just a broken wrist and a couple of fractures. Sadly you'll need a cast and a sling for your arm." Mikan said.

"Do we even have the proper equipment for a cast?" Yuno asked. Mikan gave him a nod.

"We surprisingly have everything we need for any kind of injury. We're even prepped for surgery should we need it. It'll take about twenty minutes, and don't worry about the pain, we have some morphine in the back." Mikan said with a smile.

"Thanks for helping us Mikan. I really appreciate it." Yuno said.

"Don't worry about it, I'm the Ultimate Nurse for a reason right? Sit tight, I'll get the necessary equipment and take care of Sayaka." she said, heading back into the other room.

They heard a knock on the door, which slowly slid open. Kyoko walked in, glancing at both Yuno and Sayaka for a few seconds.

"I heard what happened, and I wanted to make sure you two were alright." she said.

"We're fine. Sayaka has a broken wrist and a few fractures, but Mikan said she would put a cast on it." Yuno said.

"That's good to hear. I'm sorry this happened, I assure you we will figure out a way to deal with Bryce." she said.

"Don't bother...he's bound to react like he did with Taka, and we don't need something like that happening again." Sayaka admitted. Kyoko gave her a nod, and looked back to Yuno.

"There is another reason why I came here. I need to speak with Yuno, in private. Do you think you could accompany me somewhere?" She asked.

"Um...I...don't know, is it serious?" he asked.

"I wouldn't come talk to you if it wasn't. We established trust didn't we?" she asked firmly.

"You're right. Do you mind if I go with her Sayaka?" he asked, looking at his girlfriend.

"Not at all. Kyoko has been nice to us and really helpful with that's going on in this academy. No kissing though." She said, voice becoming stern in the end. Yuno blushed, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Me and Kyoko are just friends, honest." he said.

"Good, make sure it stays that way." the idol replied.

Yuno decided to leave the Nurse's office then. Kyoko remained silent, brushing off Sayaka's comments entirely. He followed the lavender haired young woman as she lead him up the stairs.

"Um...where are we going?" he asked.

"We'll get there when we we there." was her reply.

He shrugged, remaining silent after that. They walked across the second floor, heading toward the stairwell that lead up to the Third Floor. They passed by the Rec Room, walking toward the other side of the hallway to where the bathrooms were. She looked in both directions before walking into the Boys bathroom. Yuno sighed, and walked in right after. Once inside, Kyoko locked the door. She turned to him, crossing her arms.

"Well, this is going to be similar to the last discovery I made that revolved around you." She said.

"Wait...did you find something else that involves me?" he asked curiously. She gave him a nod.

"I've been trying to see what makes your little circle of friend so strong. None of you have given up hope, even though you've been put through a lot these past few days. You all shared your secrets with each other, built trust and strong bonds. I think that's what will get us all out of this place, but not all of us are ready to bridge that gap. I however, wish to join your small circle of friends. Do you know why I wear these gloves?" she asked.

He tilted his head, looking at her hands. He had noticed her preference for purple gloves lately but had never asked her about it. He shrugged.

"You like the color purple?" he asked. She chuckled, shaking her head.

"That was a good guess I suppose. I do prefer the color purple, but that's besides the point...bits of my memory is coming back to me, much like it is with you. I don't know exactly what happened, but all I remember is the fire...and the pain." she said.

"Fire?" he asked.

She instead of replying, started taking her loves off. She took them fully off and held her hands up, a gasp escaped from Yuno's lips. His eyes were wide with shock and awe. Kyoko's hands were horribly burned. The scar tissue looked red and brown in some parts, not like her normal pale skin. The palms of her hands lacked any smooth skin, all of it being filled with long since scarred over blisters. He took a step back, completely horrified.

"Trust me, I was in a state similar to yours when I first took them off. How could I forget something like this? A life changing injury? All the nerve damage, the fact that my hands are numb and I hadn't realized it before...questions I couldn't answer, but as of late, I remembered the fire. It seemed as if they were the only thing on my body that were burned. I was pulled out of it before anything back happened, but that's where it ends. I don't remember anything but that." she said.

"Jesus Christ, Kyoko. Are your hands really okay? When did this even happen?" he asked.

"When I was younger, I was perhaps around the age of 12. Regardless, the purpose of this was so that I could share my secret with you. You don't have to share yours with me if you don't want to, just know that you can rely on me if you ever need my help." she said.

"No no...I suppose I can tell you my secret as well." he said.

He went into a long detailed story about what happened to his little sister. Kyoko who normally remained stoic through most of what went on, couldn't help but look at him in shock after hearing all of this. She shook off her initial shock, disgust working it's way onto her face.

"I can't believe someone would commit such a despicable act."

"Me either...it still pisses me off to this day, but those bastards are rotting away in jail, so it's alright. Anyway, what was it that you brought me here for?" he asked.

She grabbed her gloves from the sink, placing them back on. She walked over to the middle stall of the bathroom, pulling the door closed. She traced the name etched on it before looking back at him.

"Do you remember anyone from class 79?" she asked.

"No...other than Natsumi. The only people I do remember are from class 77...I don't remember anything from my class at all, and I'm not sure if I even met them or not."

"I have a really good theory about what's going on. I think it's too convenient that we both have amnesia. There's also the fact that fragmented pieces of our memories seem to be coming back to us, and yet when you told everyone else, they were quick to disregard it. I'm willing to believe someone messed with our memories of Hope's Peak Academy, in order to put us through this sick game. I don't exactly have any proof of it though."

"It doesn't exactly sound that far off though. We have the picture as proof as well...and my very detailed memory...it was way too detailed to be faked." he replied.

"The reason I ask you this also ties in to another thing I remembered, well...it's a partial memory. I have a younger brother." she said.

"What? Are you sure?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

"I do. I don't remember exactly what he looks like, it's like there's a haze stopping me from fully seeing him, but you remind me a lot about him. His name is Hisashi...Hisashi Kirigiri, of class 79." she said.

Yuno furrowed his brows, and glanced at the name that had been etched into the door. This name made no sense to him. He didn't remember anything about this person. He didn't remember seeing him in his memory either, and he was sure if he did, he would have pointed it out. He sighed, shaking his head, a dull throb working its way to the front of his head.

"I'm sorry Kyoko. I can't seem to remember that name...but if he was in class 79, then I'm sure I must have met him at some point."

"I figured as much. It isn't going to be as easy as finding a person's name and remembering who he is. I might be able to find some information on him though. Who knows? Maybe he's out there looking for me." she said, brushing past him toward the door. She unlocked it, pulling it open.

"Hey...Kyoko?"

The girl stopped looking at the purple haired teenager. He gave her a small smile, looking at the wall.

"I...don't remember her much, but I have an older sister. I can't see anything other than her silhouette, I don't know why but...you remind me of her. Maybe our siblings are out there together, searching for us both...and if they are, they'll get us out of here." he said firmly.

"Yeah...thanks for listening Yuno." she said, taking her leave.

He sighed, leaning back against the counter top. He leaned back, his head touching the cold mirror.

"More questions for me to find answers too. It seems the further we explore this academy, the more questions we get. Hopefully we can get an answer to all of them soon. I'm tired of this game." he muttered dryly.

He sighed, pushing himself away from the wall. He wanted to check on his girlfriend, to make sure she was doing fine. Maybe they would be able to find something new on this floor that would lead them out of the academy.


	12. Chapter 3 Act 2: Selling our Hope

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the latest installment of The Life of Mutual Killing. In this chapter, we will be diving into a lot of stuff, including the truth behind who Chihiro truly is, It's a little weird how I wrote this, and honestly it's my first time writing for a character that identifies as a girl, and I may have done it wrong, or not. I just want to say that I'm not trying to offend anyone, when I was trying to write for Chihiro, I was trying to write her as best as I could without making her too out of character. So I apologize to everyone, I'm not trying to offend you, and if you are offended then please discontinue reading this story, that is an option.**

 **Also, there will be more talk about the mysterious Hisashi Kirigiri, so I hope you look forward to that. I also wanted to say that if it seems like some characters know more than they should, that is purely intentional. When Yuno says that he remembers some students of Class 77, that is because he truly does remember them as he is getting back memories of his school life and the reason why that is will also be explained in later chapters. For now, the only ones that will be knowing quite a lot is Yuno himself as well as Kyoko, due to finding the secret room on the Second Floor, a room that she will eventually talk to Yuno and Makoto about. I also hope I am handling the relationships correctly, I wasn't aiming to make Yuno and Sayaka start out this early, but I had already shipped them in my head so I went with it, the same with Makoto and Mikan...those two seem cute together. Also, as a free little spoiler, a certain baseball player and our favorite gambler will end up developing into something more than friends, stay tuned for that.**

 **And with this, I welcome you to the newest chapter, do leave a like, comment, follow whatever you want. And if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I will try my best to reply to all of you in an orderly fashion. With that outta the way, let us proceed...**

 **Update: 6/27/17 Chapter 3 Act 2 has been edited, this contains various grammar fixes as well as some new added content...**

Danganronpa

The High School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 3

Act 2

Selling our Hope

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

Late into the night, Chihiro typed, working hard to finish her program. She had finished the initial commands she wanted it to have, and all she had to do was test it. The pile of energy drinks on her work station numbered in the tens, as she had been forcing herself to stay awake. The Third Floor had been opened earlier, but she had opted on staying in her room to work on her program.

A yawn escaped her lips as she finished the final line of code. She rubbed her eyes, pressing the Enter key on her laptop. The screen went black, and for a second she thought it had failed, but when the screen lit up, and she saw her own face looking back at her, she let out a cheer.

"Yes! It works." She cried.

" _Hello Master. It is an honor to finally meet you!"_ the AI said, looking back at it's creator.

Chihiro finally sat back down, looking at the computer program. Sadly, the computer she had salvaged from the library had a broken microphone so she wasn't able to talk to her AI directly unless she had an external microphone, which was hard to find. She would focus on that later. She opened up the chat box, typing out her message.

"Hello Alter Ego. My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, it's great to meet you." She typed. The AI looked at her for a second, processing the words, before a smile formed on her face.

" _Indeed. How my I serve you today Master?"_

"Well, currently I have been trapped against my will within Hope's Peak Academy. I found this laptop in the library and would like it if you analyzed the files currently on it." she typed out. The Program gave her a nod.

" _Of course, I shall begin decrypting the files on this hard drive. I'm very sorry to here that you've been trapped within the academy."_ Alter Ego said.

"It's alright. I've gotten used to it...It hasn't been the best time but..at least I'm alive so that's a good thing."

" _Master, if I find anything on this hard drive, how would you like me to inform you? Should I set an alarm? Or maybe play a jingle?"_

"No no no. I can't make it obvious that I have you...right now our captor could be watching...I've had to work mostly in my bathroom in order for the camera not to see you. At least it's on a fixed angle so they can't really see what I was doing before. But I'm sure they'll find out soon."

" _Hmm...is there an area where there are no cameras? I wouldn't want Master to get hurt because of me."_ Alter Ego said, gaining a sad look on his face.

"There...is one place...I suppose I could leave you there to work in peace."

" _Yay! My first adventure! I know we just met, but I can't wait to travel around."_

Chihiro smiled at her creation. When she had originally programmed it, she wasn't trying to make it have an emotional algorithm. She was happy to see that the program was working perfectly.

"Alter Ego, before you get to heavily involved with the files on this computer, I would like you to run some diagnostics on the system. I wouldn't want something bad to happen to you. Afterwards, you can continue with the decryption."

" _Alright...I will work on it now. I won't fail you Master!"_

Chihiro slowly closed the laptop.

Her program had been designed so that it would still run without activating the Sleep mode function on the computer. She stood up, unplugging the charger she had adapted for it from the side and then proceeded to slip the laptop into her skirt, tucking her shirt over it. She opened her bathroom door, walking into her bedroom. The camera wasn't looking at her, making her sigh in relief.

She unplugged the charger from her wall, and wrapped it up, placing it into her skirt pocket. She made sure to have her room key before leaving her room. She looked up and down the hall, and when she didn't see anyone else wondering around, she moved toward the Bath House.

She noticed a bit of steam coming out of the bath area. She peeked into the bath, getting a good look at Hina's backside.

She blushed a bit, and shook it off, heading toward the lockers. She had previously taken the key to Locker number 6 without anyone looking. She opened the locker and quickly slipped the Laptop inside, placing the charger next to it. She opened it, quickly typing a message in the chat.

"I've brought you to the bath house. Please don't talk to anyone yet, I haven't told them about you. Just focus on those files." she typed.

" _Alright Master, consider it done."_

Chihiro quickly closed the locker, worried the voice of her creation would have been heard by someone. She quickly locked it, pocketing the key. She turned around to leave the bath, only for Hina to call her name.

"Heya Chihiro. Do you wanna join us? I'm cutting Celeste's hair and she'd like a second opinion." she cried out happily. She didn't bother covering up, making the small programmer blush. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I uh...only came to get my room key, I f-forgot it earlier. Maybe I'll j-join you later." she said, looking away from the brown haired swimmer.

"Okay, I'll see you later then!" she cried happily, reentering the bath house. Chihiro sighed, walking back into the empty hallway. She looked at the ceiling eyes closed.

" _I'll have to tell them at some point. My secret was almost revealed during the whole Whack-a-Mole thing. Everyone has been sharing their secrets left and right, I might as well make peace and tell them about it."_

"Hello Chihiro, how are you doing?" Yuno asked, the young archer had walked out of the laundry room with a large basket of folded laundry. The Programmer gave him a small smile, looking at the ground afterwards.

"Oh...I'm doing great, thanks. Still trying to get over the loss of our friends." he said.

"Yeah, same here. It's a little too quiet without Taka telling us the time or encouraging us to search for a way out. Anyway, have you checked out the Third Floor yet? There's an arcade up there and I'm willing to bet you'll like the games." he said.

"Really? I haven't been up there yet. I've been a little busy with something as of late." she said.

"What would that be?" he asked curiously. She rapidly grew nervous, glancing over her shoulder into the bath house.

"It's um...something that I'll show everyone later...I uh...didn't know you wore pink underwear." she said, looking at the undergarments at the top of the basket. He looked down, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah, my dumb ass tossed Sayaka's lacy panties with my whites and all of my boxers and white shirts ended up turning pink. It's not a bad color, but it is a little embarrassing." he said.

"You guys are doing each others laundry now? I thought you just started dating." she asked curiously.

"We did, however we weren't accounting on a certain architect to be a huge dick. Bryce ended up pushing Sayaka back into a Monokuma statue and it ended up breaking her hand. She's all loopy on drugs so I volunteered to do her laundry. She has some...interesting underwear choices." he said, blushing a bit at the things he had been forced to fold up.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wasn't aware that something so horrible had happened to her." Chihiro said, worry written on her face.

"I also wasn't aware I was sharing a living space with someone who thinks it's morally right to hit and push women. Just stay away from him, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you alright?"

"Sure thing Yuno. Hey um...I have something I'd like to share with you, it's sort of private. Do you maybe think we could talk about it?" she asked curiously.

"Of course! I always have time to talk to my friends. I just have to bring these things back to Sayaka's room, if you'd like you can come with me." he offered. She gave him a nod, following him back toward the Dorm rooms.

"So, did you finish that book you were reading?" he asked, trying to make some small talk.

"Oh...yes I did. It was rather interesting to read, I didn't think this academy had so many books like those." she said.

"That's good. Personally, I'd like to have a place where I could practice my Archery. I still practice my draw back but I can't really practice in my dorm, I still get nightmares whenever I spend more than an hour in there. At least I was able to stay in Junko's room instead." he said, voice becoming a bit sad.

"Yeah, I'm sad she's not here anymore. She was always happy, and lately all we've had is nothing but sadness."

"It won't be long though. We'll get out of here soon and when we do, we'll find whoever put us here is going to pay...would you mind holding this for me for a second?" he asked, gesturing to the basket.

She nodded, taking it from him, almost dropping it. She wasn't expecting it to be so heavy. He pulled out Sayaka's room key, and opened the door, throwing it open. He took the basket back, and walked into the room.

"So...this is what Sayaka's room looks like?" Chihiro said, looking around. Yuno set the basket on top of the dresser, opening a couple drawers so he could place the clothes inside.

"An Idol's paradise...if only she would stop wearing that damn blueberry perfume. I don't know why she likes it so much." he said, nose scrounging up a bit.

"Do you know where she is?" the programmer asked, looking back at the archer. He gave her a curt nod.

"She's in the Nurse's office. Mikan gave her a high dose of morphine for the pain when she was putting the cast on her. She's just a loopy mess right now, most likely passed out. She'll be up and about soon enough though." he said, closing one of the drawers. He opened the top one, and started placing the pink undergarments inside, separating his own from hers.

"Do you think we could talk here?" she asked.

"If you want, I don't mind." he responded. Chihiro nodded, closing the door behind her, making sure the lock was on.

"Um...well I came to you first because...I see how you are with people. You are really honest, and I admire that about you. Leon, Celeste, Mikan, Makoto, Sayaka even quiet people like Kyoko have given their trust to you, and I'd like for me to be one of those people. I still feel bad for what happened during the first class trial." she said.

"Don't worry about it Chihiro. That's all water under the bridge, I can't disregard it, but I don't let it bother me. I'm also happy that you've trusted me so much that you would come to me to talk."

"I...after the last trial, where we were becoming paranoid over the mole...I just figured it was time to tell someone about my own secret. You might think differently of me after I told you, and I won't hold it against you if you never speak to me again."

"Is this secret that bad?" Yuno asked curiously, looking at the programmer.

"It might change your opinion of me. It has before, and I've lost a lot of friends because of it. That's why I'm a shy person at heart." she said.

"Chihiro, whatever it is you are gonna tell me, it won't change my opinion of you. We've met, we've talked and we've formed a bond. I'm not a judgmental monster like some people I know. Whatever you wish to tell me, I'm all ears." he said. She took a deep breath, and dug her hand in her pocket, pulling out her eHandbook. She pressed the side button turning it on.

"You know how Monokuma gave us these eHandbooks? And how they display our profiles?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know, I noticed the more people I talk to and bond with, the more information gets added to my handbook. It's really weird, before, my friends profiles were blank, and not it goes into detail, down to their blood type, it's really neat." he said with a smile. Chihiro swallowed.

"Well...I'd like for you to take a look at mine." she said, handing him the eHandbook.

Her profile was on display, and he took the time to actually read it. As he got to the bottom of the profile, he saw the gender, eyes widening. He looked up at Chihiro, not even able to form words. He forced himself to speak, being careful to use the right words.

"You're...you're a guy?" he asked.

"Yes." she replied firmly.

Yuno decided to sit down, the shock of hearing that made his legs a bit weak. He looked Chihiro up and down, still not believing what he was hearing.

"You don't...I mean you look like a girl, you _are_ a girl...I don't want to offend you or anything so...I'm sorry if it sounds that way." he said.

"It's alright. You are actually taking it rather well...my other friends were really disgusted when I told them, some even yelled at me for my gender preference. If you don't mind, please just keep referring to me as a female, it's what I feel comfortable being referred to as." she said.

"Alright then Chihiro. But...how long have you been hiding this?" he asked.

"Since I was little...it's fairly obvious to see how frail I am. The kids in my neighborhood always made fun of me, because I didn't act like how a boy should. Even my own mother did the same, saying I was a frail boy and that I should get stronger. Instead however, I decided to be a girl...I was already behaving how a girl would. I just...fit better as a girl so that was my choice. I've had a hard time finding friends that like me for me, that's sort of why I became a programmer. I found more interests in computers and technology than going outside to play. My father was the only one who accepted me, and since he was also a programmer, I looked up to him and he taught me quite a lot." she said.

"Your father sounds like a really nice person. Not a lot of parents would be supportive of their kids and what they choose to become. Seriously, you aren't a frail person. The fact that you had the courage to choose to be known as a female, that is enough to make you strong. You take chances with people, and even if they don't exactly agree with you that doesn't necessarily make you weak. You got a lot of valor, and that makes me proud to be your friend." he said with a smile. She blushed a bit, letting out a light giggle.

"Thank you Yuno, it's great to know that you still want to be my friend, even with my orientation." she said.

"Of course, I'm a very accepting person. So wait...if you identify as a girl and your eHandbook identifies you as a guy, how do you get into the Girl's locker room?" he asked curiously.

"I actually wait for someone else to open it for me. The other girls don't know this yet, and it makes it really hard. Especially when they're taking a shower." she said.

"Oh...I suppose that would make it hard. So that means you still like girls right?" he asked.

"Yeah...I was in the bath house earlier and I saw Hina bearing it all. It made it really hard to not look at her." she said, her cheeks darkening a bit.

"I understand. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping my eyes off of Sayaka. She's really adorable, and sometimes I just loose myself. Often times she'll be talking about some random thing and I'll just be looking at her cute eyes, or I'll let my mind wonder and envision the future us or something cheesy like that. Then there are the times I hug her just so I can feel her breasts on my chest." he said, his cheeks becoming pink.

"Gee, I didn't think you were a boob man." She joked. He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I like boobs. But that's besides the point, I'm really glad you opened up to me. Lately, we've been losing a lot of trust among each other, and that's why we aren't working effectively as a unit. We need to put aside our differences and start working together, but sadly some of us don't see it that way. Most are rather defensive, while others are just plain douche bags. I don't think I'll ever be able to get Byakuya or Bryce to see things my way. Whatever the case, if you feel the need to tell me something, then please feel free to. I'm always here to listen." he said, standing up.

He grabbed the clothes basket, which still contained some of his laundry and headed toward the door. Chihiro followed close behind, a spring in her step.

"Thanks for listening to what I had to say Yuno. It means a lot to me that you consider me a friend."

"Sure thing, and I hope this gave you the confidence boost you need to tell the others, I can see it in your eyes, so I wish you luck and if you need someone there with you, I'm your man." he said, closing the door behind him. He walked over to his dorm, and stepped inside. Chihiro smiled brightly, feeling a bit lighter.

"Well...that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be." she said to herself.

 **xxx**

Byakuya Togami sighed to himself as he sat within the confines of the library. The last trial was still affecting him quite a bit. He hadn't been expecting someone to commit suicide, or rather he hadn't planned on it. This however didn't stop him from realizing who the major hitters in the game were. Yuno had become a possible threat to him, as he had been able to fully put together both Junko's murder as well as Taka's murder and Toko's suicide. He wasn't expecting a simple archer to go into so much detail solving a case like he had done previously. However the circumstances were against him, as he was being targeted as the killer.

He had found early on that Touko had been hiding Genocide Jack's personality from everyone.

How everything was detailed within the files, the way that Toko acted and the fact that she seemed to be highly on guard at all times, it wasn't hard to deduce she was hiding something, though the guess of her split personality being a serial killer was a high assumption that would have made him look bad should he have insisted on it. He was already seen as a bit of a cynic, and being seen as someone who blatantly calls out people for being killers, that wouldn't look good on his record.

"Hmm, somehow I knew I would find you here."

Byakuya looked up, only to the the Ultimate Architect leaning against one of the sturdy bookshelves in the room. The Affluent Progeny looked at him, mild curiosity written on his face. He leaned back in his seat, grabbing the mystery novel he had been reading previously. He turned on the desk lamp he had been forced to use due to the library's low lighting.

"What is it that you need plebeian? If it's to search for a book, do so quick, you are bothering the quiet atmosphere." Byakuya said smugly. Bryce chuckled, walking up to where the blond young man was sitting. He stood next to him, arms crossed.

"I didn't come here to search for some dusty book...I came here to talk to you." he said.

"Who gave you permission to come talk to me as if we were old chums? I do not associate with filthy casuals." he replied.

"You seemed to be pretty fond of that Author girl, even with her shyness and disgusting habits. You chose not to admit it, but I can see it in your eyes."

Byakuya grit his teeth, preparing himself to give the architect a verbal lashing, but before he could even utter a single insult, the man continued.

"Regardless, who you decide to pin your affections on doesn't bother me. However, you have finally realized who the key players in this little game are. It seems our pal the Archer, Mystery girl and the Green Hood are behind solving the last murder/suicide. Clearly they are the biggest threat at the moment." he said.

"What is your point?" Byakuya asked, clearly disinterested.

"What say you to agreeing on a little alliance?" Bryce asked.

Byakuya raised a brow, curiosity written on his face. No a single person he had met had the audacity to approach _him_ of all people with this kind of offer, and yet here was Bryce, a person who was lower than dirt itself, proposing an intriguing offer. Byakuya couldn't say he wasn't impressed. He let out a chuckle, closing his book.

"What pray tell would drive you to believe I would be willing to ally myself with you? After all you planned murder, and were the cause of Taka's assassination, if inadvertently of course. Why should _I_ trust _you_?"

"That is an interesting question. However you have seen the three of them and their ability to always solve a case. Knowing they are there and can possibly solve something revolving around you, the risk is to great. But if they were to be...incapacitated, then you could get away Scott free no?" Bryce asked.

"You certainly don't use your brain. Lest you forget that the accomplices do not get to leave the academy. If I were to commit murder and it went completely unsolved you would pay the price. What is the motivation behind that?" he asked.

"Well, have you also sat down to consider the fact that there isn't a limit to how many people can be killed?" he asked.

Byakuya's eyes widened. His mouth went dry and he took his glasses off. He hadn't even thought of that. Throughout the time they had spent in the academy, no one had thought to kill two or more people. Sure, Junko had been the first to be killed, and Mondo paid the price. Taka was killed by Touko and she took herself out, but no one had actually taken the extra step to kill everyone around. If everyone was dead, then there wouldn't be anyone to prove them guilty. He took a deep breath, recomposing himself. He placed his glasses back on his face, and looked at the architect.

"So, that means you've thought of potentially murdering everyone here until only you were the last survivor?" Byakuya asked.

"I wouldn't deny that I haven't thought of it. Killing everyone would leave me as the sole blackened. No one would be there for the trial and I would win by default. This game is the Ultimate Elimination match, a game fit for the Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak Academy. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose so...but if we were to work together to kill the others until only the both of us remained, a Class Trial would still be held, especially since we would be splitting the task in half. We wouldn't know who killed who unless we were both there to witness it. Monokuma would still win in the end. And have you thought about the Mastermind also being a student? If you were the only one left and they were playing by the rules, then they could potentially kill you too." Byakuya said. Bryce scoffed, shaking his head.

"Don't you think I already thought of that? I've been narrowing down the possibilities for the mastermind since day one. I came down with two, a fellow student, or the Headmaster. Perhaps even both of them. Regardless that's not what this is about, I found an area of Hope's Peak Academy that we can abuse. There are some chemicals in the Physics Lab, and mixing something explosive isn't that hard...we could escape that way after everyone is dead." He said.

"What place is this? I've explored the entire academy thus far and found nothing."

Bryce chuckled and took out a white sheet of paper, with a map printed on it. He also pulled out what looked like a rolled up blueprint. He handed the paper to Byakuya who looked at it. It was a map of the Third Floor of Hope's Peak Academy. He noticed that there was a hallway that extended from the back of the Art Room. The main plaza of the Third Floor seemed to be connected to something else, a part of the academy named the Sky Bridge.

"What the hell is this?" he asked firmly.

"That my friend is the way out. Hope's Peak Academy was built 234 years ago, but as the times change, so does the institute and the facilities offered. This is a government funded academy, meaning they fund the academy so that they can stay with the times. Hope's Peak Academy, the place we are in is known as the Old School Building. The campus is split into four districts. The East District is where the Administrations offices are, where the school board has meetings and all of the Staff goes to talk with the Headmaster. For convenience, there was a Sky Bridge built from the third floor that connected to the Third Floor of that building. The doors are locked, but it's not hard to pick a lock, if we can access the bridge itself we can melt through the floor and escape that way." Bryce said with a grin.

"Heh, don't you think the mastermind would have thought of that? For all we know, the Sky Bridge could have been destroyed in preparation for something like that."

"It could have, but there's a chance that it's still there. I've already gone ahead and made an escape plan. Once we take care of the others, we can blow this joint." He said.

"You know...we could share this with them, and all escape together." Byakuya said. Bryce broke into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach as hard as he could. He couldn't believe what the heir had said. He wiped a tear away glancing back that the speckled teen.

"Sorry, but it's better them then me. Someone has to be the stepping stone for my great escape. Besides, the archer has it coming."

Byakuya glanced at the ground, the light of the lap glinting off his glasses. He started thinking about everything that had happened so far, while being trapped inside the school. He hadn't made any friends, on the contrary, he had made enemies, even through that, one person managed to actually break through his walls, and actually talk to him, even if it were petty insults back and forth.

She was no longer with him, and there was no one who could bring her back. His thoughts drifted back to his little sister, the last Togami alive, other than him of course. He couldn't tell if she was still alive or not, but he wasn't going to fail her. If he became a murderer, then he wouldn't be able to inherit everything he had worked so hard for, he could smear his name through the dirt, and that was something a Togami couldn't do. He stood up, towering over the architect. He handed him the map and grabbed his novel, heading toward the doors.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have a lot to live for, and murder isn't the way I want to go down in history. The Togami Conglomerate will be the sole thing everyone in this puny planet will know me by, they will hear my name and be struck with nothing but fear and admiralty. This world is to young and it hasn't been broken in properly yet, who better to do that than the esteemed Byakuya Togami?" he said with a sneer. With that, he left the library, leaving Bryce alone with his thoughts. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well, that plan backfired. I didn't exactly think everything through this time. Even I don't have a clue what that door holds behind it? This map was something I drew in my spare time, oh well. It seems as if the Ultimate Affluent Progeny wins this round. But perhaps I can take out that thorn in my side just yet." he said with a smirk, glaring at the camera.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Ew...what the hell could he possibly be thinking?" Junko muttered, glancing at the live feed from the library cam.

She had been watching it, sitting at the edge of her seat as the Ultimate Architect tried to form an alliance with the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. It was a failed attempt at a murder, and she was honestly expecting more from the one who had meticulously planned the murder of Yuno. She had to admit, that look he had given the camera had sent chills down her spine, a new form of despair she hadn't felt, fear.

Mukuro sat patiently by, picking at her nails.

She had finally gotten around to taking off the fake red nails that had adorned her fingers for the last two years of her life. She didn't realized just how long she had been pretending to be her sister. It finally felt great to at least get those nails off. Junko however looked toward the Ultimate Soldier, a curious look on her face.

"So...would you mind explaining to me exactly why you wrote that name on the bathroom stall?"

Mukuro's eyes widened a bit in shock but she was quick to regain her composer. She wasn't aware her sister had seen it, nor was she aware that she had wrote it. She felt like a fool for writing it now, seeing as Junko had waited two days to unlock the Third Floor, that had given her more than enough time to check it out herself. She swallowed hard, biting her glossy lips.

"I felt the need to give them a clue. There wasn't really anything laying around the third floor, other than Hifumi Yamada's camera. Speaking of Yamada, his little sister is causing a bit of trouble in Towa city."

"Don't change the subject on me dammit. What you did could potentially unravel the whole thing, don't you know Hisashi Kirigiri is in the center of all this? What use is there if we remind Kyoko about her estranged family members this early in the game?" Junko asked firmly.

"My apologies. I figured if we triggered another memory, then it would cause her internal struggle, and in turn create more despair for us to feed on. I crossed the line and for that I am sorry." She said, looking at the ground.

She knew the apology was half assed, but she really didn't want to incur her little sister's wrath. Junko sighed, shaking her head. She cleared her throat, her Teacher Persona becoming dominant.

"Well...while I do surmise that you did it in good faith, I can't have you running around hand delivering clues to them. It wouldn't do good if they solved the mysteries of Hope's Peak Academy too early. You gave it a good effort and I find that commendable, but you should know that for every action there are consequences." she said.

Mukuro stiffened, sweat started trickling down the side of her face. Junko smiled widely, enjoying the despair written on her older sister's face.

"Well then, it seems as if your job playing the role of Junko Enoshima has come to an end. It's time for you to rejoin our friends under the name of Mukuro Ikusaba."

"What? You want me to return to the game? How am I supposed to do that? They all think I'm dead."

"Wrong, they all think Junko is dead, they don't know about Mukuro Ikusaba yet. It's going to be challenging adding you into the game now, but it will also be quite intriguing, especially seeing all of their distrust pooling toward you. It'll be better than Bryce breaking Sayaka's hand!" she cried gleefully. Mukuro stood up, worry etched in her face.

"But...I can't just rejoin them. How would I even do that? They'll think of me as the mastermind and then they'll lynch me." She said.

"Eh, that's your problem, honestly speaking it will be a good thing to see...well how about I make it a little more challenging on you? Soldiers love the challenge right? I think it would be a little to easy on them if I were to reveal Mukuro Ikusaba to them, but we do have someone else laying around that we could use." Junko said, pulling a red notebook from her shirt.

The soldier's brows furrowed a bit, lost in thought. She finally remembered who that book belonged to, and her eyes widened.

"No...you can't." She said.

Mukuro suddenly felt a prick in her neck, and she reached behind her, only to grab the fluffy body of Monokuma. She threw the stuffed bear across the room, only for it to flip and land on its stubby legs. It chuckled loudly, holding a syringe in its paws.

"Upupupupupu! The despair written on your face is absolutely amazing. Sorry about this, but I just couldn't bear to see you freak out." he said. She started feeling sleepy, and she moved forward toward her sister.

"W...hy?" she asked.

"Sorry, you are just a means to an end. You are a worthless puppet and _I_ am the puppeteer. I have deemed your memories of me are useless and thus I shall take them away from you. The game is about to get sooooo much more interesting." She said with a grin.

Mukuro fell to the ground, her vision swirling around her. She looked up at her sister, who was laughing evilly. The last thing she saw was her sister standing over her, her cute persona being the dominant one and that instant.

"Goood night big sis Ryuko."

With that, the Ultimate Soldier passed out, and was left at the mercy of her despair loving little sister. Junko walked over to the control panel, and she pressed a button, clearing her throat.

"Akihiko, I need you to report to the Headmaster's office on the fourth floor, there's a little... _project_ that I need done by tomorrow morning."

" _Understood Mistress Junko. I shall report to the Headmaster's office right away."_

Junko sighed, shaking her head. Hope's Peak Academy may have gone through some decent renovations, but it left itself to vulnerable, especially to those who could get control of the entire facility. The Neuroscience Building was still perfectly intact and in working order, thus it made it easier to hide certain things from people. She looked down at her sister, a smile on her face.

"Well Mukuro, you brought this onto yourself. Seeing this new brand of despair is going to be amazing. Get ready, you are about to be the first student from Hope's Peak Academy to have three titles...well then again, one of you isn't really you...eh, those are tiny details."

 _ **xxx**_

As he sat in the infirmary, Yuno couldn't help but think about everything that had happened to him during the day. Not only had Sayaka been severely hurt, but he had also learned the truth behind Chihiro's ultimate secret. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it. Chihiro was a guy who dressed up as a girl because it fit his nature better.

He wasn't against it nor was his prejudice against him, it was just something he wasn't expecting. Then again, being trapped in Hope's Peak Academy with a psychotic bear wasn't exactly his cup of tea either.

He leaned back in his chair, glancing at Sayaka's sleeping form. Mikan had finally finished placing the cast around her broken wrist and hand, and the idol had fallen asleep, due to the pain medication she had been given. Said Nurse was passed out on a cot across the room, muttering incomprehensible things in her sleep. It was three hours past curfew, and he had volunteered to keep an eye them for the night, after much pleading from Monokuma to let him stay there for the night.

The infirmary was quiet, though the lights had been dimmed down, he could still see every piece of medical equipment strewn about. Sayaka's X-ray still being on display, though the backlight was turned off due to it's brightness. He sighed, taking a deep breath, the smell of rubbing alcohol filling his nose. He scrounged his nose up a bit.

"How can Mikan stand this stuff?" he muttered to himself, glancing at the sleeping nurse.

She had told him in the past that she liked the smell of antiseptics, rubbing alcohol being her favorite out of all of them, but she said betadine was a close second. He didn't mind the smells much, and at least he wasn't being forced into looking at needles. He hated those things, and when he was little he always made a fuss when he had to get inoculated.

His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Kyoko, regarding her older brother. He found it quite odd that his name was written on a bathroom stall of all places. He had tried to remember anything regarding his class, but other than the Swim meet he had remembered, he couldn't find anything. His amnesia was starting to wear on his mind, and remembering useless little details like his fear of needles was starting to become a bit grating.

That's when a sudden thought entered his head. There had been seventeen students at the beginning. Seventeen Ultimate students all gathered by the scouts of Hope's Peak Academy. Three classes mixed together, something that to him didn't make sense, and still didn't fit into the general equation. And now with this new revelation on Kyoko's little brother, it only made him think more.

There were eighteen stands in the trial court room, and Monokuma had avoided answering that question when it was asked. Why would the trial court room have eighteen stands if one of them was going to be left unused?

Unused, unless that one belonged to a student. A missing student, a student that had been with them since the very beginning, hiding away in the shadows of the academy. It could very well be Hisashi Kirigiri that had orchestrated this entire event, with a plan of putting himself in the center of it all. Why else would his name be written on the stall? Perhaps he had marked it at some point during his time in the academy, before all of this could have even started.

Something was wrong with all of his friends, that was for sure. Why was he the sole person getting memories of his time in Hope's Peak? Especially if it was his first time setting foot in the academy? Why was his friend's class higher than his own? Where were the rest of Class 79's students?

All of this questions seemed to assault his mind at once, making him get a sudden headache. Gritting his teeth to ease the pain, he decided to take a little break from his ravaging thoughts. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. The headache turned into nothing more than a dull throb. His stomach suddenly growled, making him blush a bit. He knew the girls were asleep, but if they had been awake, surely that would have attracted their attention.

He quietly stood up, brushing his pants off and slowly headed toward the doors. He quietly slid them open, looking back at the sleeping girls. Shrugging to himself, he left the Infirmary, closing the door quietly behind himself.

The academy's quiet hallways greeted him as he headed toward the cafeteria storage room. He was at least glad that part of the academy was still available to him, even if the cafeteria itself was closed for the night. He spared a passing glance to the Entrance Hall, the large iron doors still as foreboding as they had been during his first day. He hurried his pace, passing by the only two classrooms on the First floor, before entering the Despair Hotel.

The sudden bright lights made him cringe as he made his way into the student dorms. He still hadn't gotten used to the darkness of the hallways and had always wondered why the lighting was different throughout the school building. He walked over to the adjacent hallway, seeing the grate blocking the cafeteria door. He still couldn't believe Nick had gotten special permission to be in the kitchen during night time, provided that he gave Monokuma a heads up. Wouldn't want the Mastermind to be revealed to early, or so he thought.

He stopped in front of the doors to the storage room, vaguely remembering what had happened in the room in the past few days. He half expected Taka's body to still be there, sitting in a pool of blood. He shook those thoughts from his mind and opened the door, stepping into the room. He walked over to one of the shelves loaded with food. He grabbed himself a can of spaghetti, as well as a spare spoon and a bottle of water.

Nodding to himself, he left the store room, keen on heading back to the Infirmary. As he passed by the Bath house, he couldn't help but stop, heading a sudden thud. Remembering the events that lead to the First class trial, he decided to check it out.

The bath house locker room was empty, save for a few slippers that had been left lying around. The first time he had been here, he had noticed the lack of a camera, and had deduced that due to the steam from the baths, the mastermind hadn't bothered having one installed. He set his food and water on a counter next to the bath house door. He gave a firm knock, opening the door.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" he called, looking around.

His sight was hindered, due to the steam, but he could still see the large tub as well as the shower stations in the tiled room. He stepped inside, looking around but was unable to find anyone. He walked to the back, where the Sauna was located, finding the door wide open. Shrugging, he decided to walk inside. It was his actual first time stepping into the sauna.

There were two large benches, made of polished oak. There was also a small table in the center of the room. In the very back was the place where the hot coals were burned. He found it a bit odd that the sauna was actually lit and filled with a copious sheet of steam. A sense of dread suddenly filled his mind, and as he was about to exit, the room door slammed shut. He grit his teeth, trying to push it open.

"Hey! Whoever you are, let me out of here." He shouted.

He heard a chuckle, but couldn't discern who it belonged to. He tried opening the door, but was unable too. The Sauna had been built so that no one could get locked in, so the one who had trapped him in there had jammed the door from the outside. He tried looking out the glass window, but it had been covered from the outside with something black, cutting out all light in the room, except for the burning coal. He gave the door a firm kick, but found himself slipping a bit due to the steam.

"Goddamn it. This can't be happening." He cried out.

He took a deep breath, finding it a bit hard to breathe due to the steam. He had already started sweating profusely, and it felt as if it was only going to get hotter in the room.

"Damn it, no one knows I'm in here. The girls were asleep, and no one was outside." he muttered to himself. He decided to sit down, taking the chance to shed his hoodie. He fanned his face, blowing a bit of the hot air into it.

"Shit...I don't know if I'll get out of here." he muttered to himself. He dug his hand in his pocket, pulling out his eHandbook.

He fumbled a bit with it, since his hands were sweaty. He swiped the screen, bringing up the clock. It was 1:45 in the morning, meaning there was more than seven hours until the morning announcement. He didn't think anyone could survive seven hours in a boiling hot sauna. He looked at the bucket beside him, but it was empty, and even if there was water inside, the coals were way too hot to be put out, and would only crate more steam.

He could only hope that the coals burned out on there own, only that could take hours. He licked his lips, glancing back at the door, almost wanting to try it again. Whatever the one outside had used, he knew it wouldn't budge.

His eyes widened a bit and he stood up, waking over to the door. He started pounding it as hard as he could. Maybe someone would get him out if they heard him! Only...their rooms were all sound proof, and the Infirmary was too far for Mikan and Sayaka to hear him. Still, he didn't give up, and kept pound the door.

"Hey, someone I'm trapped in here. Help!" he shouted, only to get no results.

His stomach growled again, and he mentally kicked himself for not bringing his food with him. His headache had doubled a bit, making him grasp the side of his head.

"Oh man...this might actually be it for me. Fuck...I don't even know who did it, there won't be any evidence either...just a body in a fucking oven." he shouted, pounding the door again. His legs quivered and he slid down to the floor, sitting down on the warm tiles. He looked at the coals in front of him, which were his only light source, he didn't even feel the hot tears falling down his face.

"I'm not gonna give up! This isn't the end for me...someone will hear me." he said, pounding the door again.

He stopped when his headache flared again, making him almost scream. He lay down on the floor, glancing at the ceiling, the steam had significantly risen, and he was now drenched in sweat. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"I..have to hope they find me. Sayaka...Mikan...please wake up...I know you two will find me." he muttered, as he finally passed out.


	13. Chapter 3 Act 3: Buying Their Despair

**A/N: Due to how popular my story has gotten recently, I have decided to do a double update this week. I will say, this story will reach it's climax with this new chapter, and I hope you all aren't disappointed. Of course, most of you will absolutely hate me when I post the follow up chapter, for many many reasons. But that is what my aim truly is, to please you all by giving you despair. It's a truly wonderful feeling isn't it?**

 **And if you haven't been keeping up with either of the Danganronpa anime's currently airing, please do...it is getting so freaking good. I mean, it was good from the very beginning, but goddamn it is it getting soon. I have never shouted at my Television screen in blatant anger like I have with this anime, Kodaka surely knows what he's doing and he is fucking delivering plot twist after freaking plot twist. So please do check it out, I strongly urge you too, and if not then Monokuma will be beary sad.**

 **The beginning of this chapter will be very confusing, but trust me, it is purely intentional. I want to hear your thoughts on it, and if it was executed appropriately or not. I also hope you like the portrayal of the characters as well, a worked really hard building a personality for them and fleashing them out a bit.**

 **Without further adoo...here is the lastest chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing...**

 **Update: As of 6/29/17 this chapter has been edited and re uploaded. This includes various grammatical fixes...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 3

Act 3

Selling our Hope

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

An alarm blared loudly through the otherwise dark environment, rousing a single person from the throws of sleep. The young man groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He slammed his hand onto the alarm clock, shutting it off. He yawned, pulling the covers off of himself and making his way toward the windows. He threw the curtains open, frowning at the sight of rain. He yawned again, stretching his tired limbs as he grabbed his uniform and headed into the bathroom.

Once done with his shower, he fully dressed himself in his uniform, a sharp pressed white shirt, with a red tie, a brown blazer over it and matching black slacks. He put on his boots, lacing them carefully. The final thing he did was adorn his collar with his special commemorative pin. Nodding to himself, Yuno was ready to start the day. He grabbed his room key and eHandbook and headed out the door, locking the door behind him.

It had only been a few weeks since his enrollment into Hope's Peak Academy, the institute that bred hope, or so people said. He had admired the academy ever since he was little, and to him it was an honor to even be walking down it's halls. He had been very well acquainted with the campus, as he had spent a lot of time exploring before the Ceremony. He passed by a few familiar faces and several unknown ones as he made his way into the cafeteria. He didn't spot any of his classmates has he made his way into the breakfast line. He did however spot the familiar face of the perverted Ultimate Chef. His perverted grin brought displeasure to all of the ladies in the line. He felt really bad for those that had to stomach his pick up lines and not his food. He grabbed his usual breakfast and quickly headed to his usual table.

It wasn't long until one of his classmates finally showed up, sitting herself across from him, a laptop tucked under her arm and a tray in the other. She sat down, making sure not to spill any of her precious food. Wordlessly, she handed Hisashi her computer charger, and he simply plugged it into the wall behind him.

This young woman is fairly tall, being 5' 11'' in height. She has a nice slim figure, with Double D breasts, and has long black hair, which she usually tied up into twin tails. She has a cute rounded face, with a small button nose and full pink lips. She also wears a pair of glasses, which have a thin black frame. She has piercing blue eyes, and is always grinning no matter the atmosphere.

She wears a black blazer over a long sleeved white shirt, with a light blue tie, the blazer bearing the Hope's Peak Academy crest. She also wears a short navy blue pleated skirt, which reaches to just above her mid thigh, and she wears a pair of dark blue leggings, though they often look black. She also wears a pair of black heeled boots, that reach to just above her ankles and have thin sharp heels. Her blazer is always unbuttoned, exposing her chest which leaves most other girls her age feeling jealous. She has a light sun kissed skin tone. She was wearing some dark mascara, but had otherwise refrained from using any other type of make up.

Her name was Tsubaki Yamada, known in the fanfiction community by the pen name SpiritShipperGirl231, but to Yuno she was known as the Ultimate Fanfiction Shipper. She wrote various stories, paring unlikely characters, whether it was a television show, an anime, a book or a movie, if it existed, she would write about it. To further distance herself from her older brother, she had become a dedicated author that would take two people, however unlikely and would pair them together in a romantic relationship. He had personally read a few of her fanfictions and he had to admit, they were amazing, if you ignored the detailed steamy sex scenes that is.

She said she loved writing that part the most in her stories, and yet she hadn't had an intimate relationship of her own. She did admit to him that she watched a lot of porn for "research purposes" and had even said she had several naughty films stashed away in her dorm.

Due to this she was singled out as the nerdy disgusting fanfiction writer, who often times had nothing better to do than make shipping wars happen.

Most of their classmates were none the wiser, but those who had read some of her works were actually quite pissed with her, especially at the situations the characters were actually put through. She hadn't been able to make a single friend during the first day, but Yuno had stepped up to the plate and offered him her friendship, something that he wasn't sure if to be happy at or regretted wholeheartedly. Regardless, the cute fanfiction author had rapidly taken a liking to him and spent most of her free time stepping on his metaphorical coat tails. Though most of that free time was spent beating up her perverted older brother who was in the 78th class. She took a sip of her coffee, glancing over the top of her screen at the quiet archer.

"So, how's your morning going?" she asked curiously.

"Eh, could be better. I'm just not really looking forward to today." he said, leaning back in his seat.

"Why not?" she asked curiously. She took another sip of her coffee, this time licking her lips sensually as she set the mug down. She gave him a playful smirk.

"I haven't said anything and you are already smirking, jeez what runs through your mind?" he asked curiously.

"Oh you know, lots and lots of hot sex." she said, giving him a wink.

"You disgust me." he said, taking a drink of his own coffee.

"Sure...whatever. So let's change the topic, I just logged into my doujin account and I got 30,000 views on that one shot I posted last night. Isn't that great?" she asked excitedly.

"Who did you make a crack pairing of this time?" he asked, tone filled with disdain. She grinned, flipping the screen over to him. He read the summery of the story, eyes widening when he saw the characters.

"Dude really?" he asked.

"Yup! Isn't it great?" she asked.

"No...it is not great. You cannot merely pair Ash Ketchum and Pokemon Trainer Red in a sexual relationship. That fucks with the continuity, they're not even in the same universe." he said firmly.

"You just say that because you hate Yaoi." she said, rolling her eyes. She returned to her reviews, reading all of the flames she had gotten overnight.

"No, I am not saying that because I hate Yaoi. I don't hate it, it's just not my cup of tea, too many Sora and Riku fanfictions, half of it being written by you. It's just something that's inexplicable to me, but the site does say _Unleash your Imagination_ , so I'll let it slide, even if your imagination is morally fucked up." he said.

"It is not. You seemed to absolutely _looooove_ my Yuri fics, especially the one I wrote about Ino and Hinata getting on." she said. Yuno blushed brightly, looking away.

"I did not like that." he said.

"Sure you did, after all you did leave me a nice review Mr. Celestial Sky Dragon." she said with wink.

"You...you can't prove that. Besides I don't have a doujin account...never have never will." he said, hurriedly stuffing his face with his breakfast. Tsubaki let out a hearty laugh, she rolled her cerulean colored eyes, returning her vision to the screen in front of her.

"Anyway, why is it that you today going to be good?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know it's just...well...you know how things are currently going. The rumors being spread through the campus." he said.

He knew he could get in trouble for even mentioning this, but the staff was already talking. Some of the students had also been wondering what was going in the academy. It wouldn't be long until a line of protesters gathered up outside the gates, asking for answers. She looked up from her screen, seeing the serious look on her face.

"You mean...the truth behind what the Steering Committee is using the Reserve Course money for?" she asked, earning a nod.

"They're getting a bit antsy as of late, and a few of the students have started rioting outside of the main school building. I have a few friends in the Reserve Course that say it's getting even worse within. A few teachers even quit their jobs. I don't know what is truly going on here, but it's something dark." he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

He was surprised that Tsubaki had known about the tuition fees. It wasn't exactly a hidden secret that all of the Reserve Course students were paying outrageous prices. He figured a few staff members let it slip and she was just at the right place to hear it all.

"Whatever it is, it isn't our concern. We are here as Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak Academy, who cares what the immature Reserve course does? So long as it doesn't interfere with us, I could really care less what they do." she said.

"But still..." he trailed off, glancing at the outdoor part of the cafeteria. He saw the familiar face of the Ultimate Lucky Student playing with a large German Shepard, which belonged to the Ultimate Animal Whisperer. The girl gave him a friendly wave, which he returned.

"You know, you worry about not going to class, but it's not even mandatory. I was planning on sifting through all of these reviews at the library. You could join me if you'd like...besides I have to return a few books, or else the Ultimate Librarian will have my ass again." she said.

"I...suppose I could do that." he said, rubbing his neck. Tsubaki giggled a bit, remembering what their teacher had put them through for skipping class.

"So...how's Kotoko doing?" she asked, concern laced in her voice.

"She's doing fine...she just had a bit of a relapse though...I've tried talking to her, but she's out of it. I was thinking of bringing Misa and Rex along to cheer her up. Would you like to come along?" he asked.

"Sure, you know how much I love the little bundle of joy. It's a shame what happened to her, and I am so glad someone is getting killed for it, the sick fucks." She hissed angrily.

"Alright dick-weeds, I need to borrow your homework." a new voice said.

Both students looked to their right, seeing the Ultimate Little Sister slam her food tray onto the table. Natsumi Kuzuryuu wasn't a model student, far from it actually but she was actually trying to become a better person. Of course getting scolded by her older brother also did the trick, no one messes with a Yakuza after all.

"I didn't do my homework Natsu and please don't call me a dick weed, It only serves to annoy the fuck out of me." Tsubaki replied, looking back at her computer screen.

The clicks of her keyboard filling their ears. Natsumi then looked at Yuno, who had a far off look on his face. She snapped her fingers in his face, bringing him back to reality.

"What about you, homework?" she asked.

"Sorry Natsumi, I forgot to do mine too. It's not even mandatory you know." he said with a shrug.

"Goddamn it. You two are useless, you know something, even if this academy is filled with slackers, it will look good on college applications if you actually have a passing grade." she snapped.

"Anyone who graduates from Hope's Peak Academy will be granted into any college of their choosing. Who gives a shit about the grade?" the Ultimate Fanfiction Shipper said, still feverishly typing away.

"That isn't the point. The point is, that it would look better if you actually did your work." she said.

"Since when have you been this adamant about getting high scores? You didn't care about them two weeks ago." Yuno said. She sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"I'm...trying to avoid ending up in the family business. You know how my father is, especially with something like his little gang. I wanna make sure to get the best grades so I can get out of here, move to America or Europe." she said firmly.

"You wouldn't make it in America, Blondie." Tsubaki muttered.

"Tsk...how would you know you fat nerd? All you ever do is stare into that damn computer screen. Have you bothered to clean up your room recently? It smells like Doritos and Mountain Dew...how you can survive on that crap is beyond me." the blonde girl snapped.

"First off, I'm not fat, second it all goes to the girls, which are much bigger and rounder than yours." Tsubaki said with a grin, pushing her glasses back up her nose. Natsumi grit her teeth and slammed her hand onto the table, attracting a bit of attention to them.

"Don't make me get Peko over here to cut you a new one. Maybe I can get her to give you a hair cut." she said.

"Touch my hair and you'll be meeting the broad side of a bus in the middle of rush hour." the author snapped back.

"Ladies please, could you just forget about all of this? Just give me the damn worksheet and I'll finish it for you." Yuno said, holding his hand out.

Sighing, Natsumi pulled her homework from her pack and handed it to the Ultimate Private Investigator, along with a freshly sharpened pencil. He looked it over, and immediately started answering the questions written on it. Natsumi looked at the ground, a blush on her face.

"Um...thanks Yuno." she muttered.

"Sure thing Natsumi. Just to clear things up, if you ever need help on your homework, we would be glad to help you." he said with a bright smile.

He looked at Tsubaki who didn't bother replying, growing annoyed, he kicked her shin, making her yelp in pain. She glared at him, the light from her screen shielding her eyes.

"We'll be happy to help her with her homework right?" he asked forcefully. She grit her teeth, looking at the blonde.

"Yes." she hissed.

"Good...I'll be finished in a few minutes." he said.

"So...um...have either of you heard any of the rumors going around campus?" she asked, shoving a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

"Not really, we just know the Steering Committee is doing shady stuff with the Reserve Course money." Tsubaki said.

"Yeah, that is a factor, but it's much much worse." she said. This seemed to garner their attention, both teens looked at the blonde curiously. She swallowed her food, leaning a bit forward.

"I heard, that a few people got murdered and now their covering it up." she said.

"What? That's preposterous." Yuno said, his eyes still on the paper. The two girls looked at him, frowns on their faces.

"It isn't...come on, you're the Ultimate ******* ************, your sister is the Ultimate Detective...you've got to know something." Natsumi asked.

"I don't know anything, it's impossible for someone to get killed here." he said firmly, glancing up at the two.

"No...it's entirely possible." Tsubaki said, her voice becoming serious. Hisashi looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Think about it, if something like that happened here in Hope's Peak, it would look bad on the school. Especially since this is a government funded school, something as bad as murder would blemish that reputation. So the logical thing to do _is_ to cover it up...if that is truly what is going on here, then that means something worse is going on behind the scenes."

"Not only that, there are rumors going around that its spreading outside of Hope's Peak Academy. My friend back in Blackroot Junior High told me that a few of her classmates went missing, around the same time that unknown serial killer was going around. They traced him back to one of the old apartment buildings on campus but they never found his hiding spot." Natsumi said.

"How come that wasn't on the news then?" Yuno asked, finding it completely odd that no one had covered that story. Natsumi shrugged, giving him a grin.

"I have friends in high places. Give a man a stack of cash and he'll do anything you want. Whatever the case, you best start looking out for yourself, lest you be killed off by this random serial killer." she said with a grin, the bell rung loudly, and she stood up, taking her finished homework from Yuno. She grabbed her tray, giving him a wink.

"Thanks for the homework, I'll pay you for it later." she said, heading toward the trash cans.

Once she cleared her tray, she handed it to one of the busboys and left the cafeteria. Yuno looked back at Tsubaki, who had watched their blonde friend leave the cafeteria with her older brother. She seemed lost in thought, he cleared his throat, gaining her attention.

"You don't really believe that murder crap right?" he asked. He was trying to make himself less obvious, but he knew Tsubaki was smarter than she let on. She shrugged, looking into his eyes.

"I'll believe it when I see it. If something like that were to actually happen, the Headmaster would take care of it, you of all people should know that much." she said.

"Yeah but..."

"Unless, you are just mounting up a front and making it seem like you don't know anything. Is that the way of it? The Headmaster told you not to spill the beans?" she asked curiously.

"Can't fool you can't I?" he asked.

"You might be able to fool the Yakuza, but not me. I've only just met you, but you are an open book to me. Oh if only you weren't dating Sayaka...I would totally make you my own." she said, licking her lips.

"I don't think I want a perverted horn dog as my girlfriend." he said, shaking his head.

"But seriously, what do you know?" she asked, looking up from her laptop.

She went as far as closing it, a sign that she was giving him her full attention. He sighed looking around the room, thankfully most of the students had already left.

"The Student Council...they're all dead." he said softly. Her eyes widened in shock.

"The headmaster said they were all called abroad...are you serious?" she asked.

"Indeed, thirteen of them were tricked into killing each other. Two of them are in the hospital under surveillance...we don't know much of anything that's going on." he said.

"Oh my god...maybe it's good that classes were suspended...I think I'm going home." she said.

"No don't...people aren't supposed to know about this...you leaving will just bring more attention to you. They think one of the new students did it, but I inspected the files and cleared everyone of suspicion...we just need to find out who truly did do it." he said, looking at the table.

"Alright...so it's a new student...were there any later additions to Class 77 or 78?" she asked.

"No...not that I know of...everyone in those classes check out...well...except for one. ***** ********...she was in Milan for most of this year, and when she arrived, all of this stuff started happening. Thing is she has a solid alibi for the night. Then again, Daisuke did say he saw her there."

"Methinks ******** is lying...I would find her if I were you, before anything bad happens." She said.

"Something bad...like what?" he asked curiously.

"You'd be surprised...Hope and Despair are in a constant balance...but if the scale tips too far to one side...it could spell the end of the world as we know it. Heed my words Hisashi...she's the root of this." Tsubaki said firmly. She gathered her stuff, stuffing her laptop in her carry case.

"Tsubaki, don't do that...it scares me." he said. She bent over the table, giving him a kiss on the cheek, something that surprised him quite a bit.

"Yuno, you are the first person that's ever cared about me...everyone always ignored me because of my talent. I would hate to see something bad happen to you, or Sayaka...if I were you, I would leave, before shit hits the fan. I'll see if I can get my brother out of here." she said, heading out of the cafeteria. Yuno frowned, glancing out the window, toward the Old School Building. He frowned, shaking his head.

"Nothing is going to happen...but maybe I should go and speak with Kotoko's doctors...just in case." he said, standing up from his seat, a look of worry on his face.

 _ **Xxx**_

Yuno awoke with a start, clutching his chest. He touched his face, and looked at his hands, which had been bandaged for some reason. It wasn't long until he felt someone prodding at him. His eyes refocused, and he saw the worried face of Mikan Tsumiki, who seemed to have been crying, though her tears had since dried up. He groaned as the nurse shined a light in his eyes.

"Yuno? Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" she asked.

"I.." he stopped talking, realizing his throat was really dry. Mikan handed him a bottle of water, which he instantly drank. His thirst quenched, he looked at the nurse, rubbing his eyes.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is being locked in the sauna." he said.

"Oh goodness...I don't know much myself, but apparently, someone tried to kill you last night. If it wasn't for Sayaka who came looking for you and Leon who got you out of the sauna you would be...I can't even think about it." she said, breaking into tears.

She pulled him into a tight hug, smothering him a bit with her breasts. His face darkened a bit and he gripped her shoulders, pushing her away, taking a deep breath a second after.

"Jeez, you tried to kill me with those." he said, glancing at her chest. She yelped in embarrassment, turning around.

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Do I have any injuries or something?" he asked.

"No, other than severe dehydration, which I had to give you an IV for, and some minor burns on your hands from the tile floor, you seem to be doing just fine. I'll go get you something to eat, I'm sure Sayaka wants to see you." she said, turning around and leaving the room. She quietly, closed the door, leaving the teen alone.

"What the hell was that? A dream?" he muttered to himself.

He closed his eyes, remembering the dream in its entirety. It was another school memory, this time a vivid dream. Thanks to it, he remembered another one of his classmates. There was so many things he wanted answered, so many things he wanted to ask and no one to give him answers.

He rubbed his eyes, taking another gulp of water. He noticed he had been stripped down to his underwear, probably due to how sweaty he had gotten. He sighed and stood up, feeling a bit dizzy as he did so. He grabbed his jeans and started putting them back on, followed by his still drenched shirt. He grimaced a bit, figuring he would take a quick shower back at his dorm, before possibly going back to sleep. He was stressed and tired, and this new memory was tugging at the recesses of his mind, begging him to figure it out.

" _What the hell was all of that? That was clearly a school memory...It was too vivid and detailed for it not to be. Tsubaki Yamada...she was a classmate...someone who was in love with me?"_

The possibility of that being true made him blush a bit. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of those thoughts.

" _What's more interesting is the fact that I was dating Sayaka. That means we did know each other before any of this happened. If that's true, then why the hell can't I remember any of it?"_ he thought to himself.

He pulled out the small notebook he had gotten from the school store, grabbing the sparkly pink pen from the inside, as he started writing down the entire contents of the dream. He had decided to do this ever since the first memory assaulted him in the pool house. He had also written down everything he had found during his investigations. He didn't know why, but he felt an odd sense of normalcy from this small action.

" _Okay, so I was at the cafeteria...it didn't look like the one here though...so it might have been in that new building I heard rumors of. Tsubaki and I were talking about the Reserve Course...the tuition fees. But...what's more interesting is the fact that the Student Council was dead...how did they die? Something like that must be important."_ he thought, as he quickly wrote everything down.

It didn't make sense to him. If the Student Council was murdered on campus, shouldn't the Committee do something about it? In fact, standard protocol was to shut down the academy. His mind flew to the letter he had read in the library.

" _Of course, that must be the incident that letter was talking about! So the Committee shut down the academy after the Student Council died. But then why is it all boarded it up, Prison School style? It makes no sense...something else must have happened outside...leading to all of this. More importantly, Tsubaki mentioned my older sister being the Ultimate Detective...that title sounds familiar, but my own title was nothing but a haze of words. Am I not the Ultimate Archer? Is this just part of the amnesia as well?"_ he asked himself, subconsciously writing that question down.

He paused, thinking about the memory itself. Tsubaki had mentioned someone as well, someone who might have been responsible for that massacre...but the name, just like his title, was blurred and hazy. Now that he thought about it, aside from Tsubaki and Natsumi, most of the background had gotten hazy. He remembered seeing some other students, the Ultimate Animal Whisperer, the Ultimate Lucky Student, two girls from his class. He had also remembered the Ultimate Chef, another upperclassmen. He didn't know why, but it was all blending in together into a hodgepodge of truth and fantasy, hope and despair. He closed his notebook, clutching it tightly in his hands.

The doors flew open, and before he could even say something to whoever had startled him, he was pulled into a tight hug. A familiar head of blue hair filled his eyes, and he only let out a tiny sigh. Sayaka looked at him, tears brimming the corners of her eyes. Her arm was out of her sling, and even though she was in pain, she didn't care. Leon and Makoto followed soon after, along with Kyoko and Hina who bore worried looks on their faces.

"Yuno...I thought you...I thought you died." she cried out, her voice raspy. She broke into sobs, and Yuno wrapped his arms tightly around her. He rubbed her back softly, trying to ease her crying.

"Yeah dude, what the hell happened? I was dead asleep when Sayaka came pounding my door, telling me you had been killed in the sauna." Leon said. Yuno looked at him, eyes narrowed in thought. The events from the previous night flowing back to the forefront of his mind.

"I remember going to the storeroom for a midnight snack. I heard a thud in the bath house, and since I didn't want a repeat of the first class trial, I decided to check it out. I didn't know it was a trap though, I don't even know who did it." He said.

"Whoever did jammed a wooden dowel through the door handle, using the door frame itself to prevent the door from opening. Then they nailed the door shut. Leon and Asahina had to kick it down, and even then they had a hard time doing it." Kyoko said.

"Everyone was asleep too, no one actually knows what happened." Makoto said.

Yuno nodded, closing his eyes. His theory on who the mastermind was filled his mind once more. He didn't know who it was, but only one name seemed to keep coming back into his mind, the name of the person he had seen written on the bathroom stall in the third floor. His snapped open, realization written on his face. He looked at Kyoko, a firm expression on his face.

"Kyoko, don't get pissed at me, but I think I know who tried to kill me." he said.

"You're positive?" Sayaka asked, finally letting him go. She groaned a bit from the pain in her arm, and was instantly scolded by Mikan who reentered the room.

"Sayaka, I told you to keep that arm in the sling." She said.

"Sorry." the Idol muttered.

"Back to the previous topic, who do you think did it? Also why would Kyoko get mad?" Hina asked, glancing at the silent violet haired student. Yuno sighed, taking a deep breath.

"Because, the person who tried killing me is someone who's been lurking in the shadows, a person that's been here since day one keeping an eye on us. The Eighteenth student locked away with us in Hope's Peak Academy, and the mastermind behind this killing game. It's Kyoko's little brother, Hisashi Kirigiri of Class 79." He said.

 _ **xxx**_

"What is this world coming too?" muttered the quiet gambler as she made her way through the halls of Hope's Peak Academy's Third Floor. She had been woken up quite early, only to hear the news of her friend's possible murder attempt.

She had breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was alive, but now she had personally taken it upon herself to find the person who did it. She entered the Art room, walking past the broken Monokuma statue and toward the back room.

She had only been there once, but that one time had proven useful. As soon as she entered the room, she walked toward the very back, noting that one of the wooden mallets was missing from it's spot, along with some nails. She had also noticed one of the long dowels in the left corner of the room had also gone missing, no doubt the instruments used to premeditate Yuno's murder attempt.

This one had some semblance of planning, an idea, which was simple in theory, lock a person in the sauna, crank up the heat and watch them have a slow agonizing death. Only a sadist would prolong a person's death, and only two people came to mind when she thought about it. The light's to the room suddenly shut off, startling her a bit. She looked around, the open doorway being the only light source in the area.

She heard foot steps behind her and turned around, only to be pushed back into the back wall. Her head exploded with pain, as one of the mallet's had been knocked off the wall. In her daze she tried looking around to find the person, but was only met with a sharp stab to the center of her chest.

She gasped in pain and horrid shock, feeling the warm liquid seeping from her chest. Someone was trying to kill her! Someone actually had the audacity to attempt to murder her in cold blood. Clutching the new hole in her chest, she tried heading toward the door, only to be struck in the back of the head with what she assumed was a mallet. She dropped to the ground, groaning in pain, hearing nothing but the sadistic laugh of her would be killer.

" _Is...this how it's...going to end? No! The tale of Celestia Ludenburg will not end here."_ she thought to herself.

She grit her teeth, trying to drag herself to the door, only to pass out from the pain and blood loss.

"Heh, all according to plan, man those bozos won't even be able to figure this one out. Using the Archer as a distraction surely was a great idea, even if she was a senseless target. Oh well, this will serve to weaken _his_ hope."

The infirmary was dead silent. Yuno could only look around at the confused yet shocked expressions on his friend's faces. They were all most likely wondering who he was even talking about. Kyoko flicked a strand of hair behind her ear, finally choosing to say something.

"Your theory about my brother being the mastermind is wrong." she said.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Because if he were among us, he would have made it obvious wouldn't you think? He wouldn't commit such a sloppy murder." she said.

"Are you sure about that? Are you 100 percent sure that he's not the one? His name is written in the bathroom stall, there are eighteen stands in the trial court room, and then there's the fact that Monokuma didn't answer the reason behind said eighteenth stand. I'm sorry but everything right now is pointing to your brother being the culprit." he said. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll admit, it does seem likely. But I have proof that it's not him, and I will prove it to you in time. For now, focus on healing...we can't have somebody else dying." she said.

He chuckled about to make another comment, when they all heard that dreaded jingle. They all looked toward the screen in the room, as it flickered to life.

" _Ding ding ding, a body has been discovered. I gotta hand it to you kids, I didn't even need a motive this time. Here I was sitting in my chair enjoying some wine when something grand filled my line of sight! This murder seems to be beary interesting, a final gambit if you will. After the investigation, a class trial will be held. Good luck hunting."_

 _ **(Selling our Hope Daily Life End)**_

 _ **(Buying their Despair Deadly Life Begin)**_

The monitor shut off, a sense of dread lingering in the room. No one wanted to check their handbook for the newest Monokuma file. A murder without a motive didn't make sense and yet it had happened. Then again, Yuno's attempted death was a clear sign that someone was actively trying to kill people, whether that was Hisashi Kirigiri or one of the people locked in with them currently, he didn't know.

"Is...is anyone going to check who it is?" Leon asked quietly.

"I honestly don't want to...but we have to." Makoto replied, drawing his handbook from his pocket.

He turned it on, clicking on the Truth Bullet app. His eyes widened in shock, and he started trembling. He dropped his handbook to the floor, taking a few steps away from it. Yuno put his hand on his shoulder, looking at him.

"Makoto...who is it?" he asked.

"It's...it's..."

Leon steeled his nerves and picked up the fallen handbook, when he looked at it, he had the same reaction as Makoto. His breath hitched and tears brimmed the corners of his eyes. He looked at his friends, his bottom lip quivering.

"The Victim...it's _Taeko_ _Yasuhiro._ " he said.

The world seemed to stop for everyone. Celeste, one of their closest friends was the latest victim? They couldn't believe it, they didn't want to believe it. Yuno walked forward, taking the handbook from Leon's hand. He wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his shirt, he took a deep breath, reading the report.

 **Victim's Name: Taeko Yasuhiro a.k.a. _Celestia_ _Ludenburg_**

 **Time of Death: Approximately 8:47 AM**

 **Cause of Death: Single stab wound to the chest and massive hemorrhaging.**

 **The Victim was found in the Boys locker room, strung up to the Weight machine with an extension cord. She was stripped to her underwear and had been drawn on with permanent marker. There also seem to be signs of sexual assault.**

Yuno wordlessly handed the handbook back to Makoto and grabbed his boots, putting them on not bothering to lace them up. He grabbed his hoodie and put it on, and headed toward the door.

"Where are you going? You just woke up, you need to rest!" Mikan said.

"No! I am not resting. Someone killed my friend and I swear to Christ, if I find out who the fuck it is I will murder them myself, to hell with this shit." he said, slamming the sliding door open, startling Nick who was passing by them.

He didn't even acknowledge him as he walked toward the stairs. Anger and adrenaline were coursing through him, and he was sure if someone got in his way he would have killed them on the spot. Finally arriving on the second floor, he made his way toward the locker rooms. He slammed the door open, startling everyone that was inside. Byakuya straightened up and glared at him.

"So, you are finally awake?" he asked.

"Out of my way asshat, I don't have time for your shit." he said, pushing the Affluent Progeny out of his way. As he was about to enter the room, he was stopped by Sakura, who gave him a sympathetic look.

"I understand she was your close friend, but you cannot let your emotions cloud your actions. We must all work together to find the one who did this to her." she said.

"I know that but...she didn't need to die." he said, holding back tears. Sakura gave him a nod.

"It's a gruesome scene, we haven't actually stepped into the room." She said, choosing to end the conversation. He pushed the half open door and stepped into the room. His heart skipped a beat, his jaw dropped and his mind went blank. He couldn't form a single thought, a single rational thought.

In front of him was the Ultimate Gambler Celestia Ludenburg. She had her arms bound together above he head, and tied to the large Weight Lifting machine in the back of the room. Her head hung down, limp as her hair covered her face. She had been stripped down to her underwear, a lacy pair of black and red undergarments that clashed well with her pale skin.

Streaks of pink blood ran down her abdomen and legs, slowly dripping onto the floor below her. There was a chisel stabbed into her chest, the wooden handle still covered in blood. On her collar bone, was the word Whore, written in bold black letters. Looking closer, he could tell that her underwear had been hastily put on, one of her bra straps wasn't even secured onto her shoulder, her her panties were at an angle, almost exposing her private area.

He wanted to die, he wanted to die right then and there. Someone had actually done this, to his friend? To his best friend, one of the five friends he had built a strong bond with was now dead in front of him and he couldn't have done anything about it. He hung his head low, letting the tears run down his face, he sunk to his knees, letting out a shrill scream. He screamed and screamed, not caring if anyone heard him or not. He grabbed a nearby barbell and just threw it at the side of the room, breaking the tiles.

That's when he heard it. A groan, a single solitary groan that made him look up, in both shock in horror. His teary eyes bore witness to his friend, who had weakly picked up her head. Her eyes were glassy, and clearly drained off life. She was struggling to breathe, and he could tell she was in pain. A weak smile appeared on her face.

"Yu...no...you're...al...right." she said, for once not in her accented voice.

"Oh my god, Celeste!" he muttered. He stood up, throwing the door open, startling those who were gathered.

"She's alive, quick someone get Mikan!" he said, turning around. Byakuya sighed to himself but felt the need to at least attempt to save the Gambler's life. He left the room, along with a crying Chihiro who had been near the corner of the room. Sakura walked into the room and immediately started untying the dying girl.

"Celeste, just hang on a little longer, we'll get Mikan to save you." he said. She gave a weak nod, closing her eyes.

"Yuno...call me... _Taeko._ " she said, before slipping away.

Sakura finally brought her down, carefully placing her on the ground. Yuno looked at her in worry, but the Martial Artist held him back, pressing her fingers to her neck. She let out a sigh of relief, looking at the Archer.

"She's unconscious. Her pulse is weak but if we can get her to the infirmary, we can definitely save her." she said.

"Sakura, would you fix her underwear please?" he asked, looking away from her.

The large girl fixed the Gambler's undergarments, still in disbelief at what was going on. Mikan finally ran in, carrying a bag of medical supplies with her. Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn't have time to gawk. She knelt down before her friend, placing her stethoscope to her heart.

"Her heartbeat is getting weaker, and it seems she's lost a lot of blood. It looks like this chisel didn't puncture anything important, but that's only at first glance, I'll need to X-ray her to be certain. Sakura I can't get a gurney up here, so I'll need you to carry her once I hook up her IV and Blood bag." she said, placing the stethoscope around her neck.

"Leave it to me." Sakura replied. Mikan quickly set up the tubing, finding a vein in the girl's arm for the IV. She did the same on the other arm, hooking up a blood bag to it.

"Luckily, our handbooks tell us our friend's blood types. We seem to have a lot of O blood bags laying around...alright she's ready for transport. Be careful and don't for whatever reason touch that chisel, it's the only thing keeping her stable." she said. Sakura nodded and carefully lifted the Gambler up. Mikan turned to Yuno, handing him her medical bag.

"Take that, I need to hold the two bags to keep the steady flow into her system." she said.

He nodded dumbly, accepting the bag from her hands. He followed wordlessly behind the two, not even bothering to look at the others who had gathered around the crime scene. They slowly walked down the stairs, where Leon was waiting with one of the medical beds. Sakura carefully set Celeste down on it, and began wheeling it toward the nurses office. Once inside, Mikan was quick to get to work, grabbing one of the stands to hook the bags onto. She wheeled over the X-ray machine, positioning it over Celeste's unmoving form.

"Alright guys, I'm gonna need you all to leave. I don't want you to get in my way." She said firmly.

"I'm not leaving Mikan. Taeko is my friend, and I'll stay in here whether you want me to or not." Yuno said stubbornly.

"Come on man, She's the Ultimate Nurse. If there's anyone who can help her it's her." Leon said.

"No! I'm staying." he said. Mikan sighed, and looked at him, a soft smile on her face.

"Fine, but I'll need you to help me out. While I take her X-rays, go to the back room and wash your hands thoroughly. I'm going to need an assistant for this surgery." she said.

"Surgery?" Makoto asked.

"That chisel is deep in her chest, I'll need to remove it and stitch anything that's been punctured. Don't worry, I have medical training in this field as well, so it won't be too difficult. But we'll need space and quiet." she said.

"Alright, then we'll take our cue to leave. I know you can handle it." Leon said, leaving the office. Sayaka wrapped her good arm around Yuno, grasping him tightly.

"I love you. I know you can do this." she said. He gave her a firm kiss on the lips.

"I love you too Sayaka. Don't worry, I'll bring her back to us." he said firmly.

She gave him a small smile, leaving the room with Sakura in tow. Makoto looked at Mikan, as if he wanted to say something, but instead he just looked away, muttering something along the lines of 'Good luck' before leaving. Yuno closed the door and locked it before heading to the back of the room.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Goddamn it! How did the bitch survive this?" Bryce shouted, throwing his notebook across the room.

His clothes were messed up and his hair was disheveled. He was breathing hard, anger coursing through him.

"That bitch should have died a painful death, who is it that she made it through?" he asked himself. He glared at the camera pointing his way, it only moved when he moved. Safe to say, he was sure the mastermind was enjoying this.

"That little shit...he must have not stabbed her hard enough to actually kill her. Surely the blood loss would have been enough, considering I dragged the bitch to the second floor. Damn, it was almost impossible to get back into the trash room to burn that dress." he said, slamming his fist against his dresser. He let out a low chuckle.

"Although, she does look nice without her clothes, I still can't believe that little shit touched her, well...I was holding him a gunpoint so it's understandable. Ugh...if only the Archer had roasted to death, this would have been over and done with. That was the perfect murder, nothing was left behind to tie me to it, and even though the world would have lost some very fine girls, I would have been scott fucking free. But nooooo, they just had to let him go! Maybe I should have killed his little idol instead, that would have wrenched his soul and filled it with despair."

"It's sooo good to see that you are starting to see things my way."

Bryce turned around, seeing Monokuma leaning against his door, a smirk on his robotic features. Bryce grit his teeth, clenching his fist.

"What the hell do you want?"

"From you? Nothing but despair...but it seems as if you are starting to tilt in my favor. You wish to bring despair to the Archer don't you?" he asked.

"Of course I do, more than anything. Ever since the first day where he humiliated me, I've wanted nothing more than to get my revenge on him. I'll destroy everything he holds dear." he said.

"That's good to hear...but I neglected to specify one little detail in the regulations. Specifically rule number 7." he said. Bryce furrowed his brows, and pulled out his handbook to check the rule.

"If a body is discovered, an investigation will be held. Once a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin...what's important about that? No one is dead." he said.

"I never specified if the body had to be _alive_ or _dead_ did I? I saw everything from my little sanctum, I'm sure you can have fun with that information." he said, taking his leave. Bryce's eyes widened at the sudden thought.

"A body was discovered, alive but it was a discovery nonetheless. Everyone is so focused on trying to save the bitch that they didn't realize the investigation is still going on. No one is investigating, meaning they will head into the class trial without any information on this case. I can definitely use this to my advantage...oh ho ho yes...I am getting out of here, and when I do, I'll find you and save your life Mom."

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno didn't know how long it had actually been, but when Mikan set down her suturing needle, he let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the chisel hadn't punctured any major organs or blood vessels, so Celeste was going to make a full recovery. Her pale skin had started to regain some color, and her heartbeat and blood pressure had been stable during the procedure. They were at least thankful to have anesthetics with them, even if it was in the form of Chloroform. Yuno had made a mental note to get rid of that bottle, in case someone else felt the need to use it for something.

Mikan took her gloves off, as well as her mask and bloodied coat. She tossed it all into the large bag in the corner of the room, sighing to herself. This had certainly been one of the more stressful medical procedures she had done in her life, but she had to admit, without Yuno's help, she couldn't have done it.

Yuno sat next to her, after shedding all of the bloodied garments. He wiped the sweat on his brow, looking at the ceiling.

"She lost a lot of blood, do you think she'll be fine?" he asked.

"Definitely...we'll just have to wait until the anesthetic wears off and she regains a bit of her lost energy. I can't believe someone would do this to her, Celeste of all people...she never did anything to deserve this." she said.

"She got raped, and then strung up like a puppet. Worst of all, someone had the audacity to write that word on her body." he said angrily.

Mikan sighed, running her hand through her sweaty locks. She was tired, hungry and could use a shower. She had barely slept at all, but she was happy that her friend was in stable condition. She was about to say something when Monokuma appeared on the screen.

" _Hello kiddies, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, I've grown extremely bored. So now that the good stuff has happened, everyone please head toward the red doors at the end of the hall on the first floor. It's time to get this Class Trial underway."_

"What? We can't have a class trial, no one is dead." Yuno shouted.

"Yuno, be quiet. Celeste is resting." Mikan snapped.

"But...no one is dead, so there can't be a class trial."

"Yes there can!" Monokuma cried excitedly, appearing in the room. Yuno glared at him, gritting his teeth.

"You, what is the meaning of this?"

"Well, I am just simply following the rules. Rule number seven states that if a body is found, a class trial will be held after a certain amount of time. It's not my fault you two were playing doctors. Now, to the court room, unless you want to skip this trial and be punished for it." He said firmly, holding his claws before them.

"No one is dead, there can't be a trial." Mikan said.

"No...Monokuma is right. Rule seven does state a trial will be held if a body is found, it doesn't specify whether it has to be alive or dead." Yuno said, glaring at his handbook. Oh how he wanted to break the damn thing. He took a deep breath, looking at their captor.

"Will you ensure Celeste's safety if we leave?" he asked.

"Oh sure...you know I can't interfere with the game. Celestia Ludenburg will be carefully guarded so her life won't be in danger. Now off you go."

Yuno sighed, walking out of the room with Mikan in tow. The started heading back toward the other hallway, walking past the plaza toward the red doors at the end of the hall. Once there, the joined the others who were standing by the lift.

"Do any of you know what's going on?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, nobody died so there shouldn't be a trial." Hina added.

"I'm sorry to say guys, but Monokuma's rules are absolute this time around. Rule 7 states that if a body is found, a class trial will be held." he said.

"It doesn't specify whether it's alive or dead...this game just got interesting." Byakuya said.

"Are you serious dude? Two people almost died today, and all you care about is this game? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Leon snapped.

"Excuse me for following the rules. After all it was one of you who boldly tried offing the gambler. You could have just sat back and lived the rest of your unimportant lives in this academy." Byakuya replied.

"Guys, calm down already. Think with a level head, none of us have any information going into this case, except the Monokuma file, the room where we found Celeste and the tool that was used as the weapon. We have three things to use in this trial, and we can't afford to fight against each other." Makoto said, quickly diffusing the situation.

The lift doors opened, allowing everyone to get inside. The doors closed behind them, and it started moving down, toward the trail room. Yuno leaned back against the wall, shaking a bit, he closed his eyes, trying to think.

" _Alright, a trial without any information to help us. All we have is the file, the weapon and the scene of the crime, but can I build an investigation with just that? The room where she was found was very peculiar, and so was the tool used to stab her."_

 _ **Boys Locker Room was added to your Truth Bullets**_

 _ **Stone Carving Chisel was added to your Truth Bullets**_

" _Hmm...when I first saw Celeste, her hands were bound up. I didn't find any rope anywhere. Whatever it was, it was white and long...an extension cord perhaps?"_

 _ **Extension Cord was added to your Truth Bullets**_

" _There was also the writing on her...it was sloppy, almost as if it was done in a hurry. Mikan tried to wipe it off but it was permanent marker."_

 _ **Permanent Marker was added to your Truth Bullets**_

" _Finally there's her clothes. Her underwear seemed to be hastily put on, and Mikan's vaginal exam showed that she was indeed raped. That means whoever did it raped her before, or after she was stabbed. That makes it inherently worse. Her dress is missing, so someone had to have disposed of it. But where, that's the bigger question."_

 _ **Disheveled Undergarments was added to your Truth Bullets**_

 _ **Missing Dress was added to your Truth Bullets**_

Yuno looked up, catching the look that a few of the others had been giving him. Kyoko looked at him curiously, a ghost of a smile on her face. She seemed to be beaming a bit, though she regained her stoic look right after. Makoto gave him a nervous nod, possibly struggling with what was going on. He turned to Mikan, who had been close to falling asleep. He tapped her shoulder, rousing her from sleep.

"Hmm? What's up Yuno?" she asked.

"I need to know, when you checked Celeste's vagina for signs of rape, did you find any semen?" he asked.

"Dude, what the fuck are you asking that for?" Nick asked.

"Because I'm putting together an investigation. I need to know, perhaps we can do a DNA test if she found some." He said firmly.

"That's fucking disgusting." Bryce snapped, shaking his head in disgust. Mikan sadly shook her head.

"Sorry Yuno, the rape kit I used wasn't very well equipped so I wasn't able to find anything. As far as I can tell there wasn't any semen either, meaning the person who raped her used a condom." she said.

 _ **Mikan's Medical Account was added to your Truth Bullets**_

The lift finally came to a stop, and the doors slowly slid open, allowing everyone within to walk toward their respective stands. Yuno took his spot, standing next to Makoto who still seemed nervous, but had a collected look on his face. He looked to Celeste's stand, seeing her picture with an X on it, there was a note underneath it, which read _"Gambling with my life at the moment"_. That only seemed to anger him even more than he already was.

"Dude, Yuno are you sure you can solve this case?" Leon asked, looking at his worried friend.

"Sure...I may not have enough information, but the information I have is still enough to find the bastard who did this." he said.

"Alright then, this trial will work differently, since no one technically died, we are working to find the person who committed this heinous act. Let it be known that the person who is found guilty will still be executed for an attempt at murder. Good luck kiddies." Monokuma said, slamming his gavel onto the side of his chair. All of the students shook nervously, as this would be the first trial where they had to solve the mystery without any information.


	14. Chapter 3 Act 4: Buying their Despair

**A/N: Before I start the usual note at the beginning of the chapter, I must take a few seconds to speak about rape. This chapter contains mentions of it, and it will be a central topic. I don't want to seem like a heartless bastard, and try to make it sound like a messed up topic. I've never written something that contained rape before nor mentions of it, but as an author, I must branch myself out a bit and write a little of everything. As such, I have taken it upon myself to try a small portion of it. If any of you are suffering because of rape, or are being stalked by someone or harassed, please please please seek help. There are a lot of messed up people in the world, and I wouldn't want anything bad happening to anyone. It's the same for if you are suffering from Domestic abuse, or are being bullied at school, seek help from a counselor, your principles, your parents, don't be scared, because if you do get scared then the problem will only get worse.**

 **Ahem...not that the serious bit is done, I will continue on with the note. I am about to do something to you guys so sinister that it will piss you all of for weeks to come. If you've gotten pissed off at any of the previous chapters, trust me, this one will be the cherry on top of the metaphorical despair laden Ice cream.**

 **In the last chapter, we got to see a bit of what it was like for Yuno before everything went to shit. that is what that first part was, a memory, something that will become integral as the story goes on. Yuno will start trying to figure things about, and a really big hint was dropped in this chapter but no one seemed to mention anything about it, if you do piece it together, don't spoil it in the comment section, you can PM me your thoughts though.**

 **This chapter will be the Class Trial for the Would be killer of Celestia Ludenburg, it's gonna be a good one, so I hope you all enjoy it, and if not well...eh, it's all the same to me.**

 **Update: 6/27/17: Chapter 3 Act 4 has been edited. This includes some grammatically errors. There is also an extended ending which includes Class 77A and their reaction to the Class Trials...as of this update, all of part 1 has been re edited and re uploaded, please refrain from reading Part 2, I want all of you to read the cleaned up version...or if you're rereading this, please wait...I assure you the second part, which will be posted on this file as a complete story, will be way better than what is up now..**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 3

Act 4

Buying their Despair

 _ **(Deadly Life)**_

 _ **(Class Trial Start: All Rise)**_

Yuno looked around the court room, glaring at each and every person there. All of them shared the same look of disbelief at what was going on. A trial with little to no investigation, trying to solve the potential murder of Celestia Ludenburg with only three things they had discovered, and yet he had been able to come up with a decent argument.

He had to do everything in his power to find the person who did this to her and have them executed. He didn't care anymore, anyone who attacked his friends didn't deserve to stay alive. Monokuma sat down on his throne, that sickly grin plastered on his face.

"Alright students, the trial of Celestia Ludenburg's attempt at murder shall now begin!" he announced, slamming his gavel on his arm rest. Byakuya cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Okay then, the victim in question is Celestia Ludenburg, who was found in the Boys Locker room at 8:47 am. She was strung up on one of the exercise machines, in her underwear with a knife plunged into her chest." he said.

"You got that wrong!" Mikan snapped at him, making the rich heir look her way.

The nurse herself seemed to be pissed, whether it was from lack of sleep of because of what was going on, it seemed to give her the confidence boost she needed to actually act in this case.

"The weapon that was used against her was a stone carving chisel. Did you not even look at the damn thing?" she asked.

"I didn't enter the room, so I didn't get a good look at the murder weapon. An honest mistake." he said.

Yuno was surprised that he had answered so calmly, instead of with a usual smart ass quip.

"The stone carving chisel can be a clue about where this event took place. There is only one place that has that, the Art room on the Third Floor. The attack would have happened there." Kyoko said.

"Someone would have to stab her in the Art room, and then drag her all the way to the locker rooms on the second floor, don't you think one of us would have seen that happening?" Hina asked curiously.

"Not really, not when everyone was focused on one thing, Yuno's wellbeing. Remember, everyone in the cafeteria was waiting for news about whether or not he would be waking up soon. Celeste said she would be looking for clues on who could have potentially attacked him. Did anyone see someone leave the cafeteria afterwards?" Sayaka asked, looking around the room.

"I wasn't paying attention, like you said I was worried about whether or not my friend would live or die." Leon said.

"Me too, sorry." Makoto said.

"It's fine. We at least have that to back up Hina's claim...no one would be able to see it because you were all in one place. Let's move on to the second thing I noticed, Celeste was strung up, hands above her head tied to the machine. I noticed that what was used wasn't rope, it was an extension cord." Yuno said.

"An extension cord?" Mikan asked, earning a nod from him.

"I can correlate this fact. I was the one that untied her and brought her down, her hands were indeed tied up with an extension cord, the same one that was in the library a few nights ago." Sakura said.

"There's only one person that stays in the library literally all the time, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Byakuya Togami." Nick said, pointing at the blond haired man. He chuckled, brushing a few locks of hair from his eyes.

"Do you honestly believe that I would attack Celeste of all people?" he asked.

"You surely can, and you could have a motive behind it. You two never got along, even if you both said some pretty fucked up things from time to time. Maybe you wanted to get even for something? Or it could be that you made a bet with her in the past, before all of this and lost a large sum of money, by which killing her would quench your thirst for revenge." Nick continued, a hand on his chin, his finger raised accusingly. Everyone looked at him, curious and angered looks on their faces.

"Seriously Nick? Do you hear yourself speak?" Hina asked, a little angry with the baker.

"Even if he had a weird way of saying it, it could potentially be true. Celeste is the Ultimate Gambler, and he is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. The Togami Conglomerate is large and they have billions...it wouldn't be hard for her to strip him clean of money." Leon said.

"Except, I have never met Celestia Ludenburg outside of this academy, so it is impossible for me to want to... _quench my thirst for revenge_ , as you so eloquently put." Byakuya said.

"Pfft, yeah right...and we're supposed to believe that?" Bryce asked, crossing his arms.

"You don't have to, but believe this...there is one among us who was planning murder on a grand scale, one who proposed to me a plan to escape this academy by forsaking the lives of everyone else..one who knows how to exploit a building and its weaknesses." Byakuya said, a sneer on his face. Everyone turned to Bryce, who started chuckling.

"He's right...I proposed that plan...there is no rule about how many people we can kill, so killing all of you wouldn't be so hard. Sure...it would eat at my soul for years to come, but better you than me~" he said in a sing song voice.

"Oh my God...you were actually planning on killing us all." Makoto said, fear coursing through his system. Mikan grasped his arm, hugging herself tightly onto him.

"God has nothing to do with it dearie, but you do know what does have to do with it? The fact that it would bring everyone despair." he said firmly.

"What...what the hell are you talking about?" Yuno asked, the architect tilted his head, shrugging.

"Nothing...nothing at all."

"We cannot brush this off...that asshole was planning to kill all of us...what are we gonna do about it?" Leon said.

"There's nothing we can do, at least not from here. Now that we do know that Bryce was indeed planning to kill us all, it would make a lot of sense for him to be the would be killer this time around." Kyoko said.

"How can you be so sure?"

She purple haired girl glanced at the baker, a single brow raised. She cleared her throat, looking back at Yuno.

"Well, for one it would make a lot of sense. I have also concluded that he may be a potential suspect for last night's murder attempt against Yuno. I noticed he has been spending a lot of time in the art room as of late." she said.

"Of course, trying to plan a getaway for myself. I can come up with blue prints easily, just by being in a room. I just wanted to find the weaknesses of this building, and the art room has the necessary materials." Bryce said.

"Including long wooden dowels, like the one that was used to bar the sauna door shut...as well as the tools necessary to nail it shut." She said.

"Yeah, you got a point there." the teen admitted, stroking his chin. He then smirked, looking back at her.

"But...I didn't do it."

"You expect me to believe that?" she asked.

"Guys, let's not keep at this. Arguing with him will get us nowhere, which is what he wants. Let's go back to the attempt at murder we're already dealing with. Now then, Celeste was found in the Boy's locker room, meaning only a male student could have gained access to it with their eHandbook. That narrows it down significantly...I was obviously out of it, so It wasn't me. Leon was also with me, Sayaka and Mikan through the night, so it wasn't him." Yuno said.

"I was in my room all night as well, I didn't sleep well so I decided to go to bed early." Makoto said.

"I was in the library reading a book, but I didn't hear anything." Byakuya said.

"Hmm...then that means the murder must have taken place after you left for breakfast...the attacker would have to go in there for the extension cord, and with you being there, it would make it harder on them. When did you leave?" Yuno asked.

"I believe it was around 8:30 in the morning when I left for breakfast. Seeing as the morning meetings are no longer mandatory, I have taken it upon myself to get some morning reading in before breakfast." the heir replied.

"This is getting more and more confusing as we go on, who the hell did what?" Nick snapped.

"Well we would be closer to solving it if people like you didn't make unnecessary outbursts." Sayaka snapped, making the baker cringe in fear. Yuno placed his hand on her shoulder, calming her down a bit.

"Upupupu, this is getting beary interesting!" Monokuma cried out, a malicious grin on his face.

"So, we established a possible timeline. The time in the Monokuma file was her estimated time of death, but Celeste was still alive at that point, meaning that there was a seventeen minute window for the attacker to work with, between the time Byakuya left the library and the time Celeste was found. Sakura, Chihiro and Byakuya were the ones that found her correct?" Yuno asked.

"Indeed, it was Chihiro who made the discovery. I told Byakuya as he was making his way back to the Library." Sakura said, her gruff voice sounding stressed.

Yuno looked at the nervous Programmer, who hadn't said a single word during this entire thing. Her clothes were wrinkled, and her face and hair were drenched with sweat, she was also clutching her hands together rather tightly.

"Chihiro, how was it that you discovered her body? You can't open the door right?" he asked.

"T-the door w-was open. I w-wanted to go s-swimming and saw it o-open." she said.

"You poor thing, you shouldn't be exposed to something like that." Sayaka said, wanting to hug the smaller girl against her.

"Were her clothes anywhere near her body?" Yuno asked.

"N-no. She was half naked when I first saw her." she replied.

"Hmm...that dress would have been an important clue. Any residue found on it could have potentially told us what happened and where." He said.

"You mean the fact that she was getting laid and someone decided to give her the orgasm of her life with a chisel instead of his dick?" Bryce joked.

Yuno was about to jump over his stand when Makoto and Leon grabbed his arms, holding him in place. The feral look on his face told everyone he would kill the teen with no second thoughts. Hina slammed her fist against her stand, the cracking wood echoing through the entire court room.

"You monster! How can you say something so horrible? How can someone like you act like this!" she asked, tears running down her cheeks. Bryce shrugged.

"It's simple my dear, I truly don't give two fucks what happens to any of you. We aren't family, we aren't friends and we are not classmates, hell the only thing we are, are Ultimate Students. Ultimate Students in the Ultimate Death Match. You best get used to it, lest you want despair to kill your hope!" he said, his brown eyes flashed red for a single second before returning to normal, something that seemed to unnerve the Ultimate Swimmer quite a bit.

"Yuno! You need to stay calm...I know she's your friend but goddamn it don't lose it now, he wants you to act like this, he wants you to attack him, do you want to risk becoming a blackened?" Kyoko snapped.

Yuno seemed to calm down. His lavender eyes fell onto the violet haired girl, who's calm demeanor seemed to have dropped, being replaced with one of worry and anger. His head throbbed a bit and he grit his teeth, returning his glare to Bryce.

"Alright then, we can move on to another very important thing. Celeste seemed to have been sexually assaulted. This is clear due to her undergarments being hastily put on. Also, someone had the audacity to write the word Whore on her with permanent marker, which can only be found in the Art room, which leads me to suspect that this crime took place there." Kyoko said calmly.

"It would make sense. Everything is coming back to the Art room for some reason...the maker, the tools that were used to lock Yuno in the sauna, the chisel...I'm willing to bet her dress will be in there too." Makoto said.

"I doubt it...if I were the attacker, I would get rid of the evidence. That dress was most likely disposed of, while everyone was worrying over Celeste, they made their way to the Trash room and disposed of it." Yuno said.

"You got that wrong Yuno!" Leon said, making everyone look at the orange haired baseball player.

"How so?" Sakura asked.

"The trash room is locked with a huge grate, no one is able to enter it without the key. And if I recall, it's Kyoko's turn to take care of the trash, meaning she has the key, and she was with us in the infirmary so she couldn't have burned that dress." He said.

"Unless she forgot to lock it." Nick said.

"Unlikely...I didn't start my trash duty until ten, so I didn't open it until then. There is no way I would have missed that dress being in a trash bag." She said.

"That is...well...what if someone just tore it to shreds?" Hina asked.

"I think we would notice a lot of threads on one of us don't you think?" Byakuya said, looking at the Ultimate Swimmer with a sneer.

"Not unless they used those super sharp scissors that Touko had. I remember storing them all in the Art Storage room. Those scissors are sharp enough to cut through flesh, cutting through cloth wouldn't be that hard." she continued.

"If they tore it to shreds, it would be easy to just toss it in something like the Kitchen trash, the bathroom trash, hell they could have flushed it down the toilet." Yuno said.

"Very clever, this is getting interesting." Byakuya said.

"That further cements Kyoko's theory of this taking place in the Art Room. That means she was also...taken advantage of, in there as well." Makoto said.

"Mikan didn't find anything inside her either, meaning anyone could have done it and disposed of _that_ evidence as well." the archer said.

"Ew...god this is fucking horrible...I can't take this anymore." Hina said, her shoulders shaking. Sakura placed her hand on her shoulder, easing her up a bit.

"So, we got a missing dress and some missing spunk, as well as a missing killer...this is too funny." Bryce said, trying to rile everyone up, though they all chose to ignore it.

"I've been thinking...don't you think this is all suspicious?" Sayaka asked, getting odd glances from everyone.

"Well of course it is, this is a class trial and we are trying to solve a mystery." Byakuya replied, in his typical smart ass way. Yuno had almost missed that side of him, almost.

"No...what I mean is, don't you think it's odd that someone would try to kill Yuno and then Celeste right after? I think that the person who did this wanted to kill Yuno, which is why they used the Sauna. A person dying from dehydration and heat stroke, the sauna being hot would destroy any fingerprints within the room. Sealing him inside, it's the perfect crime, except whoever planned it, wasn't planning on me coming to search for him. That means they hastily tried to kill someone, and that someone had to be a person close to Yuno, and who's closer to Yuno than one of his close friends?" Sayaka said.

"So you are saying that, they attacked Celeste because they failed to kill Yuno?" Makoto asked, earning a nod from the blue haired idol.

"It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The attacker would need to think fast. Since she decided to search for clues, she would be the most likely target." Yuno said.

"That means someone must have followed her up to the third floor and struck while she wasn't paying attention." Nick said.

"The most likely scenario...it seems we have addressed everything we could, but we have yet to arrive to a culprit. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on dying today." Byakuya said firmly.

"Have truly addressed everything?" Hina asked.

"The permanent maker, her missing dress, her disheveled undergarments, the stone chisel, the boy's locker room and the extension cord, we've talked about everything we could talk about." Yuno said.

"We also discussed the wooden dowel and the tools used to lock Yuno in the Sauna, all of it points to this crime taking place in the Art room. My suspicions still lie with Bryce being the attacker this time around." Kyoko said firmly, looking at the architect.

"Why do you say that? You have no proof." Bryce said.

"I may not have proof about you doing it, but I do happen to have proof about an object that went missing after the last trial. The handgun that was used by Touko to mess with Taka's body. It was gone before the trial even started, meaning you still have it, I'm willing to believe you have been extorting someone to do your bidding for you." she said.

"Heh, how do you figure?" he asked.

"Have you forgotten what our last motive was? Our secrets are still being held hostage, it wouldn't be beyond you to find out someone's secret." she said.

"I don't have access to any of that stuff, and even if I did, I would just humiliate you for it." he said with a shrug.

"Are you sure about that...how many guys are in this room presently?" she asked.

"That's easy, there are seven guys in this room." He said, matter of factly.

"Are you serious? I thought you of all people would know how to count." Byakuya said. Bryce's eyes widened, realizing his mistake. He turned to Kyoko, a pissed look on his face.

"You tricked me you bitch!" he shouted.

"I didn't trick you, I asked you a simple question and you answered it right." she said.

"But wait...there are only six guys here, are you not counting right Kyoko?" Hina asked.

"No...she's counting right." Yuno said.

His eyes widened as he had a slip of the tongue. His eyes met with Chihiro's who was a second away from crying. He frowned, shaking his head.

"What do you mean Yuno?" the swimmer asked.

"I can't say, I promised not to tell anyone until they were ready to talk about it with everyone." he said.

"Yuno...it's okay...I think it's been long enough." Chihiro said, gaining everyone's attention. She took a deep breath, nodding her head, while wiping her tears away with her sweater sleeves.

"Everyone, I'm going to tell you my secret. I'm actually a guy." she said.

"Hehe...what?" Leon asked.

"It's true...I've been dressing up as a girl this entire time, because I am more comfortable as a girl. I'm weak, and frail...and I didn't act like how a guy should, so I decided it would be easier to be a girl. It's been like this for years now...I'm sorry for not telling you all sooner...I wasn't confident enough to do it. But now that one of our close friends has been hurt...I couldn't just sit back and keep it hidden." she said, bursting into tears.

"Is there a reason why you had to do that Kyoko?" Yuno asked, a little angry with the violet haired young woman. She gave him a nod.

"There is...It's sad to say, but the attacker this time around was Chihiro Fujisaki, someone who was taken advantage of by Bryce, due to him having that gun." She said.

"Wait...you mean that..." Sayaka stopped talking, eyes wide as dinner plates as she looked at the younger teen.

Time seemed to stop as they all realized the truth of what Kyoko had said. Yuno glanced at Chihiro, before looking back at Bryce, who was sneering at him. He felt dizzy, like everything around him was just blending together into one massive blob of colors and sounds.

"You...forced her to...stab Celeste? To... _rape_ her?" Yuno asked, his voice low but firm.

He was trying not to have a mental breakdown. Bryce clapped his hands, the loud sounds echoing through the quiet court room. He lifted his arms up into the air, a grin on his face.

"Why yes I did...and you know why I did it? It was all just a simple rouse really...no one would be able to find out who had killed you or Celestia Ludenburg if the plan had gone accordingly. I would have been left Scot free of anything, I would be able to leave this academy, and I would be able to rescue my mom, who has been held against her will since we were brought to this hell hole. All of your lives don't matter to me, not when I could save the only person who actually gave a shit about me, about my presence. The only person who cares about me!" he shouted. His shoulders shook, laughter flowing through his lips.

"Sure, at first I felt pity for all of you, being locked up in this academy, your family and friends, brothers and sisters, lovers all of them must feel horrible about this. The fact that all of you are missing, presumed dead, hell, most of us are dead, never to be seen again. They won't feel the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze on their skin, the cold brisk winters, no one will feel it all again." he said.

"What the fuck are you talking about? What is wrong with you?" Leon howled, his hands firmly clenched on the wooden stand before him. Bryce looked at him, a twisted look on his face.

"What's wrong with me? Nothing is wrong with me...nothing at all...I'm just enjoying myself, the sweet taste of despair flowing through my veins, it's a wonderful feeling. Seeing all of you suffering about a person you've never met, watching the deaths of those who you condemned to living an eternal sorrow, it is all so delicious." He said. He stepped away from his stand, cackling as he stood next to Chihiro, placing his arm around her shoulders. She pinched her cheeks a bit, making her yelp in pain.

"You see, the little tyke made a mistake when he trusted Yuno with his secret. He wasn't paying attention to what he was doing and ended up bumping into yours truly, exposing himself to me. His secrets were all in the open, why he was always alone, it all made sense to me. That's when the plan started forming in my mind, I didn't need to kill anyone, as long as I could get someone to do it for me. Mondo proved it to me when he offed Fashion Girl. It all started coming together, so I devised a plan to seal you in the sauna, and once you were safely inside, I had him do the work for me, the barrel of my 38 special was more than enough to convince him to work for me." he said.

"I'm sorry...please I'm so sorry." Chihiro said, bursting into tears. Bryce wiped them away with his shirt, patting her head softly.

"After it was discovered that you were...in fact alive, I had to work something out. I couldn't exactly have you come back and potentially unravel everything, as you have been a key player in this game since day one. So, I started devising a second plan, one to eliminate you for good, when lo and behold, the opportunity presented itself to me. It was the perfect _Gamble._ " he said, stroking Celeste's picture, as if she were there with them. He turned around, clapping his hands together.

"But, a problem arose, I couldn't be discovered, so I worked my charm and had my little _buddy_ do it for me. It was so satisfying...seeing the little tyke plunge that chisel deep into her chest, watching as she gasped for breath and held the wound tightly, trying to force the blood to stop. Watching, as even after she was supposed to be dead, she just kept crawling, she wouldn't fucking _**Die**_ _._ So, since she wouldn't die, and the little tyke here was going to be blamed, I forced him to have a little fun with her, while she was bleeding out. Oh the humanity, the sheer audacity of watching a girl being taken advantage of at deaths door, it was amazing, the smell of copper and sex was the best thing that I have ever had the pleasure to inhale."

"I'm sorry...please Yuno, you have to forgive me...I'm sorry." Chihiro said, almost shouting it.

Yuno was too shocked to even reply, he just wanted it all to stop. But alas, Bryce continued, prancing back to his stand, and leaning over it, glaring daggers at Yuno, while giving a smirk to Byakuya who backed away from him a bit.

"Afterwards, I felt for her pulse and didn't find one, so I let the tyke wash up while I disposed of the body. It wasn't so hard, I just waited until our favorite heir left the library and strung her up like a pinata. She looked so beautiful up there, the lingerie she picked to wear clashed so well with her skin, it was to die for, and she almost did." he said. Then he turned to Yuno, his happy face turning into one of pure anger. He clenched his hand so hard his fingers cracked.

"But then...then was when she was discovered, and you found her alive, the bitch didn't die! I was so angry, so fucking angry! I wanted nothing more than it all to end, to taste the sweet outside world...but then it came to me, while everyone was distracted, no one was investigating, it gave me the perfect opportunity to rid myself of the evidence against me. So, no matter what you all do, I wasn't the one who tried to kill Celestia Ludenburg. That's the beauty of it, manipulation isn't against the rules, and knowing that, I was able to use it to may advantage, to bring you a giant dose of despair." he said cheerfully, eyes flashing between brown and red, before finally settling on brown.

Yuno swallowed hard, brushing his sweaty locks from his face, his knees were weak, his arms were heavy and if he wanted to vomit, he would have done it already. He looked over at Chihiro, a defeated look on his face.

"Is this all true?" he asked.

"It is...I'm sorry...I was afraid...afraid of death, of being blamed for something so horrible. I was afraid all of you would die because of me." she said.

"It's okay sweetheart...it isn't your fault, so you aren't to blame." he replied.

"But I am, I did all of those things against my will." She cried out.

"Monokuma, isn't there anything you can do? Aren't you the judge here?" Hina cried, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry kiddos, but the rules are absolute. I can only add rules not change them, and the rules were made without counting on manipulation as a possibility." he replied.

"So no matter what, we have to vote for the culprit." Byakuya said, for once looking sad at the events he was witnessing. Chihiro sobbed a bit, her cries filling the room, she wiped her tears looking at everyone.

"I've made my peace...please just end this already. I'm tired of suffering, I just want to leave." she said.

"If you kids are ready, it's time for the vote!" Monokuma said firmly. Yuno grit his teeth, looking away from the lever in front of him.

He didn't want to vote, but he knew if he didn't there was a chance everyone could die. He pulled the lever, not looking at the paneling. The slot machine next to Monokuma came to a stop on Chihiro's face, loud cheers echoing through the room.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner. The would be killer this time around is none other than the Ultimate Programmer Chihiro Fujisaki. What a shame...I had a motive for all of you that you simply would have enjoyed, I worked beary hard on it. Upupupupu!" the bear cried.

"No...we can't." Hina said.

"We have to figure something out! We can't let her die...she was innocent in all this." Leon cried out.

"I don't know if you noticed or not, but attempt at murder, rape and destruction of evidence is all punishable by law, that's why she...or should I say _He_ is getting the boot. Any last words kid?" Monokuma asked.

Chihiro nodded to herself, and walked up to Yuno, sticking her hand in her pocket. She pulled out a single sheet of paper, which was folded in half, handing it to him. When he opened it, all he saw was a bunch of Binary numbers. He looked at her in confusion.

"You'll figure it out, you are an Ultimate Student, I know you have what it takes to get them out of here. Don't let Bryce intimidate you, or you'll end up playing his game." she said. He nodded, placing the paper in his pocket before wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to save you. This isn't your fault." he said.

"I'm at peace Yuno. I realized who I was, and I have to say I enjoyed the life I was given, I'm not weak anymore. I'll embrace death with confidence, because I know you'll lead them all to daylight. You'll lead them all to hope." she said.

"Alright, enough of that bullcrap. I've prepared the Ultimate Execution for the Ultimate Programmer, it's Punishment Time!"

The sound of the gavel alerted the students that the next execution was about to begin.

 _ **Chihiro's World:**_

Chihiro was suddenly dropped into a trap door, with Yuno reaching out for her, screaming her name. Everyone watched in horror as a large computer screen seemed to come out from the ground.

It was glowing bright green, and on it the name Chihiro's World was written. It cut to another screen, the name World 1-1 appearing on it. Chihiro appeared on screen, looking around in confusion. The screen started pushing her forward, forcing her to move. Suddenly several lines of code started shooting at her, as she was trying to avoid being hit by them. It turned out that Monokuma was the one in control, moving her all over the screen. She started running, as several digital monsters started chasing her.

In front of her was a golden MonoMono coin, and she reached for it, trying to get it's power. She breathed a sigh of relief when she did, only for one of the blocks above her to fall, crushing her entire body out of existence. A sad death jingle was played, and the screen read, lives remaining 0. The screen turned off and disappeared.

"Well then, I hope you all enjoyed the demo of Chihiro's world. I'm sad to say we won't be getting a console release any time soon, the main character seems to have run out of lives." he joked.

"Shut up...just shut up. How can you allow this? How can you be so Goddamn cruel?" Yuno shouted, anger flowing through him. Monokuma laughed, tilting his head back.

"I've told you before silly, I want nothing more than enjoying the sweet taste of despair. And it seems as if one of you is at least seeing things my way...now run along, I'm sure there is someone in the infirmary who wishes to see you."

The elevator doors opened shortly afterwards and everyone stepped on to it, making sure to stay as far away from Bryce as possible, since the Ultimate Architect seemed to be in his own little world, cackling to himself like an insane person.

Yuno wanted to get revenge on him, he wanted to just snap his neck, make him pay for what he had done. He felt Sayaka's hand taking his own, and when he looked at tear soaked face, she just shook her head, telling him silently that it wasn't worth it. Whatever the case, their situation had gotten worse, a lot worse.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Simply amazing. That was truly beautiful!"

Junko spun around in her chair, absolutely adoring what she had just seen. The single most despair inducing class trial yet. It had her on the edge of her seat, goose bumps all over her skin. She had to pinch herself several times just to make sure she was actually awake. Bryce declaring his love of despair was amazing as well, for a long time she wanted to bring him to her level, and she had finally successfully done it. She was absolutely giddy about it.

She heard a knock on her door, and swiftly turned around, a groan escaping her lips. She pressed a single button, unlocking the security system. A lone figure stepped in, wearing a long doctors coat. He was only a teenager, being around eighteen or so, and had long brown neck length hair. He had a tired look on his face, his eyes glowing a fierce shade of red. His shoulders were slumped, but he had a proud gait in his walk.

"Mistress Junko, the procedure has been completed." he said lowly.

"Hmm, thank you Akihiko. Are you sure she can't recall anything about herself?" she asked.

"Indeed, I have asked her several questions only she would know but she has given me the same reply, she doesn't know who she is. I couldn't replicate the original Ryoko Otonashi, but she will suffice. Her memory wipe will also last longer than that of my fellow classmate Yuno." he said.

"See to it that she is ready for action, the following days will be important after all. The ugly duckling has finally blossomed into a beautiful Swan." she said with a warm smile.

"Yes Mistress...before I take my leave, I wish to inform you that Tsubaki Yamada has made contact with a person of interest, one of the students that belongs to Class 77." he said.

"Who pray tell is that?" Junko asked, her teacher persona taking over. Akihiko swallowed hard, looking away from her briefly.

"Well...she was that annoying blonde girl who absolutely loved bringing despair to the Nurse. The Ultimate Traditional Dancer." he said.

"Hiyoko Saionji, the bane of my existence. How she is still alive is beyond me...see to it that they are both taken care of, I wouldn't want our little friends in the Future Foundation to make contact."

"Right away ma'am. Kazuichi and Takane are on standby, so I shall give them the message. It also seems that Erika Del Rio making contact with Musashi Togami, the remaining Togami Heir had supposedly joined the Foundation months ago, so I shall be taking care of it personally."

"Good, don't die on me Akihiko, I need my Ultimate Surgeon on standby should I need him. It pains me to have to change my looks, but it is vital that I do if I want to keep despair flowing strong." she said.

"As you wish, I shall be the utmost careful. Until I return my Mistress." he said, closing the door behind him.

"Oh Akihiko, my sweet boy...I don't care if you return or not, it makes no difference to me...sadly, my plans would derail without you." she whispered to herself, playing with a strand of hair.

She focused on one of the cameras, seeing her sister along in a white room, a room that was located in the Neuroscience lab across campus. She was familiar with that room, as it had been where she spent a lot of time planning everything. She shook her head and looked toward the other screens, seeing all of the remaining students in the nurses office, all but Bryce who had returned to his room. She grinned, cracking her neck.

"Time for business."  
 _ **xxx**_

"That was absolutely amazing...all according to plan...it seems that I have finally started seeing things under a different light. The Programmer is gone, and he was a great tool to use, but now is when things will start getting tricky. I can't wait to unleash this next plan...I'm sure I will get out of here this time around...and soon I will be free, free to look for you, to tell you how much I love you mom." he said, cackling loudly.

"Well, I can see that you are enjoying yourself." Monokuma said, entering his room. Bryce turned around, greeting him with a smile as opposed to his normal tirade.

"Monokuma, what brings you here?" he asked.

"Me? I'm just strolling around, figured I would say hi to my favorite student...how is the despair treating ya?"

"It's amazing...if I had seen things this way from day one, it would have made everything much better." Bryce said.

"How about I make you an offer? One you can't refuse?"

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

"Well...if you off one of the students in the following days, you'll be absolved from all crimes, and will be free to walk a free man. Then you can search for mommy dearest." he said.

"Really? I'll be able to leave? What about the others?" he asked curiously.

"Them? They don't want ya here, they see you as a monster for what you just did. They'll be living their lives here, after you kill off someone else, there won't be a need to have anymore class trails. There won't be a reason for them to leave. Even if someone else gets killed, there won't be a class trial." He said firmly.

"No way for them to get out huh? That would be the Ultimate Despair inducing scenario. Having to live in the grounds where their friends were put to death, forever...I like the way you think, I accept this deal." he said.

"Good, I will deliver another motive soon enough, and after that feel free to strike. Oh, and I left a little something on your eHandbook profile, something you'll definitely enjoy, but no sharing with anyone else. Ta-ta" he said, taking his leave.

Curious, Bryce grabbed is handbook from his night stand, flicking through it until he found his profile. It glitched for a few seconds, bright green squares appearing on the screen, before finally disappearing, he grinned at what it said.

 **Bryce Kotenok: Ultimate Despair**

"Heh, I think I like the sound of that!" he said, a malicious grin on his face. He would get his revenge, the archer would pay for humiliating him and he would walk free. It was only a matter of time.

 _ **Xxx**_

Everything was hazy when she awoke. Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears, and the air around her was still. The scent of antiseptics assaulted her senses, waking her a bit more. She took a deep breath, calming herself down, only to have her memory return to her. Everything that had happened to her that day, being stabbed, dragging herself across the floor in an attempt to escape..having her virginity taken from her...she started to hyperventilate, the noticeable beeping filling her ears. She heard a faint voice, telling her to calm down, and she looked up, seeing the hazy figure of the Ultimate Nurse, taking her vitals and barking orders at someone.

She seemed to calm down a bit, laying back down on her pillow, her tears now becoming apparent. She didn't realize she passed out until she was greeted with darkness.

She awoke once more, now being calm. She wanted to desperately return to her gambler persona, the woman that she had created, but wasn't able to do it. Celestia Ludenburg had been shattered like the porcelain doll she was, and now the only one that remained was Taeko, the weak little girl she was hiding within. Everything came crashing down on her, but this time she had been prepared for it. She heard foot steps heading toward her, and looked up, only to see Yuno, who looked devoid of happiness. She gave him a warm smile.

"Yu..no."

Her voice was hoarse, and she realized then that her throat had gone dry. He wordlessly handed her a bottle of water, which she started drinking. She noticed the bandages on his hands, and remembered what had happened to him the night before.

"You've been asleep for a week." he said.

"Huh?" she asked. He gave her a nod, sitting down on the chair beside her bed.

"You woke up three days ago, freaking out. You threw the covers off of yourself and started screaming bloody murder. Mikan had to sedate you just to get you to calm down. She said it was PTSD, and I don't blame you for it, after everything that's happened." he said.

She pulled the covers off herself, seeing that she was wearing a tacky hospital gown. Taking a peek, she saw the large bandage wrapped around her body. She reached for the spot where she had been stabbed, almost expecting it to start bleeding.

"Christ...you had me so worried...I haven't been able to sleep well, and I've been a mess after Chihiro's death."

Her head jerked toward him, eyes wide with shocked.

"Chihiro is dead? Who killed her?" she asked.

"She was executed."

Her breath hitched. An execution meant there had been a class trial, a trial she hadn't been apart of. That meant the person who had done that to her was...but it couldn't..she swore Chihiro was a girl the whole time. She looked up at Yuno, who just shook his head, before going into a long explanation of everything that had happened.

During the week she had been asleep, they had all been keeping watch of Bryce, in pairs just to be safe, and they even had weapons with them just in case. The teen didn't seem to mind, not even getting mad or anything. It was all just too much for her to take.

"I can't...what is going on with the world right now?" she asked, not bothering to use her accent. What was the point, if her persona was already broken?

"I don't know Taeko, but what I do know is that we have got to do something. It won't be long until the next murder takes place, and I'm really scared. I'm stressed out, can't even sleep and all of this just keeps adding up...hell, I think I would welcome death." he said.

"Don't dare say such words." she snapped, glaring daggers at him.

"Yuno, you may not be perfect and you may not be able to save everyone, but goddamn it you are everyone's ray of Hope. You have kept it together, solving each murder case to the best of your abilities, wishing for death now, that's just giving up. That's what Monokuma wants you to do, to fall into despair, and we cannot let him win that easily." she said.

"You're right...sorry if I seemed like a let down just now."

"Don't you worry about it sweetie, it's all due to the situation. I frankly don't blame you." she said.

"Well, I guess I should help you to your room. Monokuma said the instant you were conscious and alert, I had to take you back to your room. I tried talking him into letting you stay here until you were fully healed, but the best I could do was get him to lift the Sleeping in your own dormitory rule, so I guess I'll be bunking with you for a while." he said.

"Oh, is Sayaka alright with me stealing her man from her at night?" she asked, a smirk on her face. He laughed, giving her a nod.

"We talked about it, and she's alright with it. Mikan and her are sharing rooms now, and so are Leon and Makoto. You can't be too safe." he said.

She nodded and threw the covers off herself, seeing the pale skin of her legs for the first time in a week. She wanted nothing more than a hot shower, but she knew it would be a while until that happened due to her stab wound. She swung her legs off the bed, standing up, only to fall forward and into Yuno's arms. She groaned in pain, almost wanting to scream.

"How about I just carry you?" he asked.

"No...you can't embarrass me like that." she said, though it was muffled due to his shirt.

"Oh Taeko, no one is going to laugh at you! Now come on." he said, easily lifting her up. She eeped a bit, not expecting him to be able to pick her up so easily. She blushed bright red, her black hair falling around her face.

"I like it when you are like this you know, just a regular girl." he said.

"Maybe I should let Taeko Yasuhiro stay out a little longer. It will be a while before _Celestia_ _Ludenburg_ is back anyway...I don't think she'll be able to handle this anymore, after what happened to her." She said.

"Yeah, but she'll be fine. Celestia Ludenburg is tough, and strong...but she isn't Taeko, she's stronger and tougher than her, having to deal with twice the amount of bullshit Celestia handles. In all honesty, she's the better of the two." he said, giving her a wink.

He was at least glad Mikan had unhooked everything from her earlier that morning. Taeko smiled, finally feeling free of her persona, at least for the time being that is. She couldn't stop thinking about what has happening though, the halls of Hope's Peak Academy, had become darker as of late, and it would take a lot of hope and wishful thinking if she wanted to make it out of the academy alive.

 _ **End of Chapter 3 (Buying their Despair)**_

 _ **Remaining Students 13**_

 _ **Epilogue**_

She still didn't understand any of this. She had been a victim since the very beginning, and yet she couldn't believe it. One second, everything was peachy, the world was just fine, and the next morning everything had gone to shit. How someone could convince so many people to commit mass murder was beyond her, and yet she had been a witness to it all. 267 Reserve Course Students had jumped off the roof of Hope's Peak Academy, as a prelude to Despair and no one had done anything.

What would they have done? Nothing at all..the police couldn't handle the upcoming despair, and after awhile just feel for it all, and the few believers of Hope were all slowly killed.

In the absence of Hope, Despair started to sprout, until it had over taken the planet. The skies were constantly blood red, smoke and fires could be seen world wide, and there wasn't a sign of it ending. The Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak Academy had caused havoc on a global scale, and it had even spread to the other sister academies located over seas. It had seemed to be the that the last rays of hope had been eradicated.

But then there it was, the hope of the world, those who would lead the future into a new hopeful light, the Future Foundation. They had risen from the ashes of despair, and promoted hope world wide. An organization composed of those who had graduated Hope's Peak Academy and survived the Most Despair Inducing Tragedy in Human History. And she had been lucky enough to be a part of it.

But now, two years after it, she had regretted ever joining the Future Foundation. They didn't do anything to save her friends, her upperclassmen, the current Ultimate Despairs who had domination of the entire globe. The only ones she actually talked to anymore were the Ultimate Doomsday Prepper, and of course one of the major benefactors, Musashi Togami. Sadly, she wasn't able to talk to them often as they were to busy tracking down the Ultimate Despairs.

But then...that's when everything hit the fan, when they had all received that incoming message, and the Broadcast of the School Life of Mutual Killing had initiated. She didn't want to believe it, especially when she saw her friends and fellow students of Hope's Peak Academy, who had volunteered to be locked in there for the rest of their lives, were being put into a death game. She didn't want to believe it, and yet she had been tuned into the live broadcast.

She had seen her friends, killing each other, acting harshly to one another and recently, manipulating each other. The activity between the Ultimate Despairs had risen, and due to that it had lead her to act, but she wasn't receiving any assistance from the Future Foundation. Their attempts to gain access into the academy were for naught, as they always ended in failure. So in order to make her way into the school, she had to apprehend the ones responsible for building everything that had been used to seal the school, a person who up until a year ago, was thought to be a survivor, and not an Ultimate Despair.

Yes, she had to make contact with Hiyoko, else her friends weren't going to survive, especially her precious friend, the one who was acting completely different for whatever reason. She had to find a way into that academy, or her name wasn't Tsubaki Yamada.

 _ **Xxx**_

Oliver didn't know what to say...what to do or how to react. He had just witnessed the third class trial. The results of it made him sick...how can someone be so evil, to force someone so sweet and caring to do something so horrible? He started at the screen, the bright pink blood still present on it. He swallowed hard, only for his mouth to fly open, a stream of vomit and bile to fly out. It had been the third time in the last two minutes that he had emptied his stomach.

Rika was trying her hardest not to cry. She wanted to do something, she needed to find a way into the academy. So far, twelve students remained in Junko's sick game...she didn't know if anyone would make it to the end of the month. She glanced at her missing arm, cursing herself and her luck to the depths of hell. She heard someone move behind her, and glanced behind her back, seeing the stern face of Emma glancing at the screen.

"I understand that this is hard...trust me, I am trying my hardest not to break apart right now. But we cannot give up, we must try our hardest to help our friends out of this situation!"

"Shut up, what the fuck can you do? There is nothing that will bring them back!" Oliver snapped angrily, wiping his lips with his shirt. Emma grit her teeth, her hold on Rika's rifle tightening.

"Don't you think I know that? I live every goddamn day of my fucking life knowing that. But guess what, we are still alive, and so long as we are we can fight this! We have to be here for when they leave the academy."

"But, what if they die? What if Junko kills them all?" Aquamarine asked, earning a frown from Toshiro.

"We can't think that way...Hisashi is clearly working hard toward finding out the mastermind. Even with his amnesia, he's going to bring them out of there alive...and if he doesn't, Kyoko will."

"Pfft, and if they die?" Oliver asked.

"But they won't, remember they were the ones who were investigating all of this before it happened. Junko wouldn't kill them so easily, they are the biggest enigma in her game...and she would be too damn bored if she killed them off this early on." Emma said.

"She's right...for now let us all work together to find a way into the academy." Keiko said, pulling on the thread of her doll. She had found a pretty porcelain doll on the street and had been fixing it for the better part of a week.

The sudden sound of screeching tires filled their ears, and all ten students suddenly huddled up. Emma trained her gun on the vehicle slowly approaching them, seeing as they were all rapidly surrounded. A single man stepped out from within.

He was tall, and had a firm look on his face, with a white bowl cut hair style. He was wearing a pressed white suit, with a light blue button up shirt, and a vibrant red tie. Around his waist, he had a sword strapped to his belt, his long white slacks tucked into matching white boots. He stopped in front of the group, eyeing Emma's weapon.

"You don't have to be wary of me. I have been keeping my eyes on you for awhile, Class 77A of Hope's Peak Academy." he said firmly.

"Who the hell are you?" Oliver asked, aiming his pistol at the man. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"My name is Kyosuke Munakata. I am the 2nd Branch Manager of the Future Foundation, previously I was the Ultimate Student Body President of Hope's Peak Academy's 74th Class. We're an organization created to fight off this despair...currently we're trying to find a way into Hope's Peak Academy. We could use your various talents in our organization. What do you say, would you like to join?"

They all looked skeptical, not exactly wanting to believe the man's words. Emma glanced at her friends, all with varying degrees of shock on their faces. She shook her head, lowering her gun.

"My apologies, but I will not be joining your organization. I want to fight despair my own way. However, if my friends wish to join you, then it will be up to them." She said.

"Emma, are you insane? He's asking us to join them...he wants our talents, we can finally have a good place to rest, and food in our stomachs!" Aquamarine said firmly.

"Being able to breathe without the scent of smoke in my nostrils would be nice." Toshiro added.

"If they can get the others out of the academy, it would be great...I believe my talents may aid them." Sona said firmly.

"Screw that shit, I'm not tying myself down to some organization I know nothing about...I'm sticking with Emma. You guys are on your own." Oliver said.

"As will I, I cannot find myself trusting them." Keiko added, earning a nod from Rika.

"It seems we have a pretty split decision. We aren't going to just leave you out here however, if you do not wish to join us that is fine. But at least let us accommodate you...you may change your mind later on. Besides, I can tell you want to strip out of that old uniform Emma...I've seen various pieces of your work, and I know how your mind works. Think about it alright?" the man asked firmly. Emma narrowed her eyes, giving him a nod.

"Fine, I can use some new clothes, and a fresh shower...but after that I am gone. I haven't the time to waste on fruitless efforts, not when the world is in such a shitty state." she said, lips pursed in a pout.

"If you would follow me then, we will transport you to our nearest facility. I hope you all change your minds later on...you'll be safe, trust me." he said, nodding to the soldiers beside him.

Emma didn't know why, but she didn't trust this man...not a single bit.


	15. Return to Hope's Peak Academy

**A/N: Hello and welcome everyone to the prologue of The School Life of Mutual Killing. This story is called, The End of Hope's Peak Academy: Side Story Hiyoko Saionji. That's right, Hiyoko Saionji will be the main character of this story as well as a few other lovely characters. After finishing the last chapter of part one of The School Life of Mutual Killing, I started to envision what the people on the outside were doing, while this was going on, and this was born. Honestly, this was going to be a story where Tsubaki Yamada was the main character, but I scrapped that when I realized that Hiyoko fit perfectly. I don't know why, but she is hated a lot in the community, not me, I love the little bundle of joy, and after she hit her growth spurt, she became a beautiful young woman. I felt the need to give her her own story. Since my story is an Alternate Universe, so will the prequel, so if you haven't read any of my previous story, then I advise that you do. There will be spoilers in this story about what is going on in that one, and I would hate for everyone to be spoiled through it.**

 **This story will work in the same format as the Danganronpa 3 anime, it will have a Mirai-Hen, which will detail what Hiyoko is currently doing, and there will be a Zetzubou-Hen, which will detail everything that Hiyoko did before the Tragedy. It's a new format that I've been wanting to try. Is this something that I'm writing because that anime is getting good? Definitely, I will shamefully admit it, I've wanted to write stuff for Mirai-Hen, but since the School Life isn't done, this will have to do for now.**

 **Now, this is only a prologue of what's to come, so I will not be posting anything new for it for a while until I get the definitive plot down. I already know what I am going to do, plot wise, but it's still good to have an outline. As for now, I need your help audience and fans of my previous story and the series itself.**

 **In this story, the students of Class 76 will interact a lot with Class 77, as well as Class 78 and 79. I didn't bother coming up with any names for the Ultimate Students of Class 76, so this is where you come in. Just drop in an oc if you want, following the same format those other SYOC stories have come up with.**

 **Name:**

 **Ultimate Talent: (If there is one already in another class, then it will not be accepted. try to be original, I know you can do it, I will accepted succeeding talents, such as Student Body President or Boxer, as those talents are of people who already graduated)**

 **Age:**

 **Appearance:**

 **Personality/Quirks:**

 **Personal objects:**

 **Mannerisms:**

 **That should be all of it. Note that there will be no killing in this story, aside from the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, some of the Trustees getting offed, and a few other people that poke their noses where they shouldn't be. I will be needing a few Student Council members, so it would be great to get those talents as well, be creative. Also, if you wish to add a student council member, note that they will get their position, but their talent doesn't have to match that position, like say The Student Council President has the title of Ultimate Stunt Driver, that is totally okay, unless you want to make their position their title, which is alright as well.**

 **So far i only have two students for this class**

 **Bartholomew Vega a.k.a Kukri: Ultimate Knife Fighter**

 **Falker Hereta: Ultimate Comic Book Author (Submitted by Chance Green G King)**

 **Those are the only two currently, so please feel free to drop a PM, I'll get back to you as soon as possible with a reply. I will only accept them through PM. As of now, I need Six Males and Eight Females for Class 76. Everything else will be fine...**

 **Also, I would like to say that the cover art for this story obviously doesn't belong to me, please support the official artist, they have done a beautiful job in this rendition of Hiyoko, and they deserve the praise for it**

 **Well, without further ado...it's time for the Prologue, coming at your face right...now**

 **Update: 6/28/17**

 **As of today, the second half of The School Life of Mutual Killing will be posted on this file. It will include various grammar fixes as well as some added content. Some things will be edited to remove continuity errors. Trust me it has been challenging to remove those errors while keeping the base part of each chapter the same, often times I felt the need to rewrite it all, and got annoyed so I just removed what I could and fixed everything else. So if some parts seem out of place or there are plot holes, feel free to ignore them. I am trying my best here, and it is getting a bit challenging at times...hehe**

 **Hiyoko's Story will be posted in the same format as the original, so no you won't get chapter 4 today, I will post all of it tomorrow when I have the time to edit it...and if my goddamn Mobile hotspot fucking agrees with me...this chapter also contains an extended ending...so do enjoy it...Sayonara...**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Hiyoko Side

Act 1

"Sirens blared through the city, the sounds of screaming had long since died down, being replaced with nothing but chaos and destruction. What was left of the human race was wondering around, causing pain and misery to anyone and everyone they saw. The store windows all over the place were broken, the glass littering the broken streets. Wrecks of cars littered the roads, either flaming or in pieces. The vehicles once use for daily transport were now nothing more than empty husks of metal and wires, their interiors having been destroyed long ago. The ones beautiful blue skies, were now tinged crimson, smoke rose in plumes toward the sky, and the clouds were nothing more than a mass of gray smoke mixed with various toxic gasses.

Those that still roamed the cities, did so because they were desperate, for supplies, for survival, or just to get away from those...things. The things that were seen mutilating people on a daily basis. The wave of mass hysteria that had been brought upon by the Ultimate Despair. Men, women and even children, now ran around as nothing more than husks of their former selves, wearing those helmets, with that demonic bear face on it.

And, if you were unlucky enough to be captured by them, you best hope you were fast enough to escape, or else nothing would be left of you to find. That was what the once hope filled world had turned into, a massive world of despair. Not every place on Earth fell to it, but recently, more places were falling. Nations like The United States and Great Britain had done everything in their power to maintain order, but ultimately fell to the reign that was despair.

The Most Despair Inducing Event in all of Humankind...otherwise known as the Tragedy. It was the event, the one thing that had driven the entire planet that into what it is today. And it all originated in one place, in a single well known place that was once the hope of the entire world. Hope's Peak Academy.

A school responsible for assembling the most elite and talented people world wide, known to house the Ultimate Students, who's talents spanned many colors of the spectrum. Anyone with the honor of being brought to the school, had been set for life. There was only once catch to attending this academy. Number one, you must already be enrolled in High school, and Number two, you must be the very best you could be at your specific talent. With standards like that, it was obvious that not everyone in the world had the great honor of walking through it's prestigious halls. Even then, I was lucky enough to be given such an opportunity...I never realized it, but I was squandering my time.

We all knew something shady was going on, something that the academy was keeping hidden from everyone else. It was only a matter of time before something happened that would put the world on it's head. What I didn't know at the time, was that the event that would tip the world to the tides of despair, was coming from a place that almost no one in the main course gave a shit about. The Reserve Course, it all started there, and a single person from that academy would be enough to throw the world out of whack.

Of course, he alone wasn't solely responsible for making the world what it is today. Nothing bad would have happened, if that bitch didn't come along to ruin it all. The one who wrecked everything, the one who caused my class to scatter into the winds, to turn into mindless killing machines, who took him away from me! It was all her, Junko Enoshima, The very first Ultimate Despair. It was all under our noses, and we just ignored the signs like the idiots we were. And now, I had to watch as the hope of all humanity, the students that had locked themselves within Hope's Peak Academy, all killed each other in an Ultimate Death Match.

However, there is nothing I can do at the moment. The headmaster was adamant about this whole thing, but his Son and Daughter had convinced him to do it, and since they had worked closely with an Ultimate Despair, not knowing it at the time, there was absolutely no way anyone could get into the academy from the outside, and no way anyone from the inside could get out. It was a sad reality, and when they finally emerged from within, to see what the world turned into, all of them will be devastated. It was clear that Junko had used the Ultimate Neurologist's Memory erasing technology to put her sick game in motion, but those idiots in the Future Foundation are to stupid to do anything about it. It absolutely burns my insides, but from my position, there is nothing I can do about it, Junior Member my ass.

Even now, as I sit writing my daily transgressions in this little notebook, I begin to wonder, when they will act. All they can do is stare at their television screens with their mouths open like freaking flopping Magikarps. Useless to the very end. Heh, that reminds me of the time he discovered I played Pokemon, and the sweet gesture he did for me, so that I could defeat that German player."

" _Don't cry now you idiot!"_

"I swear, even now I can hear his voice. That soft voice that lulled me to sleep, that would yell at me in anger when I was acting up in class, that voice of reason that had made me see past so many flaws my fellow friends and students had. The voice that had made me a better person. In another world, and in another time, I most likely never joined the Ultimate Despairs. I would have been dancing on a stage, most likely using my talent to bring hope to the world. But I fell to despair, just like my friends, and I helped them end the world."

Her phone started to ring, in the otherwise quiet building. She grit her teeth, quickly pulling the device from her sleeve. She looked at the caller ID, and flicked the device open. Still not understanding how they were online after all the shit that had gone done. She pressed the green button, pressing the device to her ear.

"You got shitty timing. I'm deep in the city, and anyone could have heard that!" she snapped.

" _Don't blame me, you are the one who decided to have her ringtone on. If an attack Monokuma finds you, that is all on you sister!"_

"What do you want?" she snapped.

She set her notebook aside and got onto her knees, peeking out the window, luckily the house she had picked to rest in was in a safe area, with no attack Monokuma's anywhere.

" _I'm calling to let you know, Chihiro was just Executed."_

"What?" she cried, eyes widened in shock.

She hadn't been keeping up with The School Life of Mutual Killing, so she didn't know what was going on. She couldn't believe Chihiro would stoop as low as to kill someone.

" _She didn't kill anyone. Bryce forced her to do his dirty work, he had her stab Celeste and then forced her to rape her."_

"Jesus Christ!"

" _My thoughts exactly. Even worse, that bastard has now become an Ultimate Despair. The title was just placed on screen a few seconds ago, if he knew he was being watched by everyone, and that his mother was dead, he would have most likely killed himself by now."_

"Well, he deserves to die for what he did."

" _Even worse, Hisashi still hasn't solved the biggest riddle, it's like he's trying but hasn't come up with anything."_

"Don't worry about him, even with amnesia, he's the Ultimate Private Investigator. Solving crimes is what he does best, and he's good at it. Can we change the subject for a bit? How are things in Towa City?" she asked.

" _Not good, I was able to track down all of their family members to several apartment complexes, but the Future Foundation doesn't want to approve a rescue mission. They think we'll be putting them in danger if we attempt to rescue them to early. The city itself is still functioning like normal, thank God, but I don't know how long they got until shit hits the fan."_

"The Future Foundation isn't gonna do shit, no matter how much we push them to do something, it's all gonna blow up in our faces. Lest we remember what happened to your brother and sister." she said.

" _Don't remind me. I wasn't expecting Hifumi to fall to the Ultimate Despair, especially knowing his love for everything 2D. It was that book he was reading, Junko's Black Book of Despair, he must have read it, and it warped his mind. Why would someone create something like that?"_

"That's a question I stopped asking myself long ago Tsubaki. This isn't ending any time soon, not when the Ultimate Despairs have so many foot soldiers in their ranks. All of the Reserve Course students wanted to be in the main course so bad, that their wish got granted. I just wasn't expecting it to turn into this."

" _Tell me about it. Hisashi knew about this, he knew what was going on behind the scenes, and he was trying to tell his father, but Headmaster Kirigiri knew he was being watched. He could have stopped this before it all went to hell, before Junko Enoshima put her hands in the pot."_

"I know Tsubaki, I know...what is your current location?" she asked.

" _I'm near the downtown district, what about you?"_

"I'm in an apartment complex near Hope's Peak Academy, I've been keeping a close eye on it for the last few days, but nothing has happened as of late. Other than Ezekiel mounting a full frontal assault and failing, I was planning on sneaking into the campus and checking out the New School Building for clues on what is going on inside."

" _Hiyoko, are you insane? Approaching Hope's Peak while she's at the helm is a bad idea. That place is rigged with the best security systems in the world, and I would know, I was a witness when they were being created."_

"I know that, but I have to do something. We can't just watch as the last of our friends end up dying. Maybe I can find something that will keep my mind off of _him_ for a while. Something physical to keep me motivated, I don't even have a picture of him anymore." the girl cried, almost bursting into tears.

" _Fine...but you and I will meet up and then we will sneak onto the campus. There is no way I am loosing another friend Hiyoko, you know Daisuke wouldn't forgive me if I let you die."_

"Please...don't say his name...I'm not ready to hear it just yet."

" _Sorry...I'll be there as soon as I can. You still got that sword that Sunosuke made for you?"_

"It's right next to me." She said, gripping her katana tightly in her hand. Tsubaki sighed with relief, and she almost pictured her pushing her glasses up her nose.

" _Perfect, I shall see you soon. Oh and Hiyoko...don't do anything stupid before I get there, we both know you tend to do that. And make sure to take a bath too, I don't give a damn if you can't tie your obi, that's no excuse to smell like sweat."_

With that, the Ultimate Fanfiction Shipper hung up the call, leaving a visibly embarrassed and pissed off Hiyoko alone with her thoughts. She closed her flip phone, looking it over for a few seconds. It was old and worn, nearly three years old, and it still had that cute little panda charm he had gotten for her.

It always brought a smile to her face, even if she didn't like pandas that much. She leaned back against the wall, glancing at the barricade she had made, knowing it would do little against an attack Monokuma. At least power was still running through this house, so she was able to use basic things to keep herself entertained. She glanced over at her notebook, seeing it was still open to the page she had been writing on. It was a small, leather bound book, with writing that detailed her life for the last few years, starting with her time in Hope's Peak, to the current dilemma she was facing. All of it was a reminder of what the world used to be, the hope filled world she wanted to make a reality, to bring back from the shadows of despair.

She flipped back several hundred pages, this notebook was small, but it was made to last, it almost looked like a novel, with all of the pages it had. She stopped at the page she was looking for, the first passage of her Sophomore year in Hope's Peak Academy.

" _A new year is starting! I'm finally an upperclassmen! I can torture the fresh meat, make their lives a living hell...that Ultimate Lucky Student seemed like an excellent place to start. If only I could find some Mister Ants to squish, that would make my day even better! Mahiru promised to have lunch with me again, and we're actually doing it as a class this time, as opposed to everyone breaking off to talk with their other friends like most days. Summer break was fun sure, but I'm actually excited to be back in school, weird huh? Never really put much thought into my school life until now. I dunno why, but I feel like something is going to change this year."_

She let out a dainty giggle. She was so innocent then, even if she was sixteen at the time. She hadn't faced the reality of the world, nothing mattered to her except high school. Nothing but making friends, having fun and dancing the night away, whenever she got invited to parties of course, not many boys liked talking to her, she was pretty mean then, a nasty little thing, until he showed up, and actually tried to make friends with her, he was the only one who took her mean comments in stride, and strived to make her better person, and she could say without a doubt in her mind that he succeeded. Even if he was gone, he was still alive, in her notebook and in her memories.

"Oh Daisuke...I miss you so much, if this tragedy hadn't occurred...were you really going to make me your wife like you promised? We're you going to help me build that dance studio, so you could tell your stories? I guess I'll never know." she said to herself, laying back on the couch she was sitting on. She placed the notebook over her beating heart, the tears threatening to spill.

"A girl can dream though...I just wish I could live those memories again...one last time before I head back to Hope's Peak Academy. I'm not ready to go back...I'm not ready to die yet, but maybe if I do, I can be with you."

She yawned, her eyes growing heavy. All of the running she had done during that day had finally caught up to her, and she was growing tired by the second. Without realizing it, she had slipped into a dream, a beautiful dream, where the skies were blue, the sun was bright, and the world was filled with hope.

 _ **xxx**_

Sonia frowned as she watched the results of the latest class trial. She didn't exactly know what to say, do or react. The fact that Bryce had been so cold hearted to drive Chihiro into committing such a disgusting act...it made her want to tear him apart. What worried her the most was the fact that he had now fallen into Despair, albeit a different kind.

She of all people knew what it felt like to truly fall into despair. He was just acting on pure emotion. Monokuma had him tricked and it wouldn't be long before he convinced Bryce of doing something that would put this game and the world on its head.

She had yet to hear about Hiyoko. It had been weeks already since the last time they had seen each other and she was growing worried. She had already lost Daisuke, she couldn't lose her as well. She doubted the Ultimate Traditional Dancer would get into trouble, but knowing her, she could very well get into it. The last time she had heard from her was a phone call she had gotten.

Apparently she was going to infiltrate the Future Foundation to keep an eye on them, as well as their teacher Chisa Yukizome. The woman knew how to act, but it was obvious she had also fallen to Despair. She had been convincing Kyosuke Munakata that he needed to destroy all traces of despair, no matter the cost. That would be putting her and any other Ultimate Despair at risk.

She still believed, wholeheartedly that her friends could be saved. It was obvious that Love was the key. If Junko used Love against them to turn them all into despair, she could very well use it to create hope.

Which was why she had spoken to Akira about it. The Ultimate Cybernetic Technician was developing a special system, which would allow anyone to have their memories of despair erased.

The plan was simple. They had to get all of the Ultimate Despair in a single spot, and place them in special pods. Once inside, their consciousness would be transferred into a virtual reality video game. Upon entering it, their memories would be erased yes, but it would be better that way.

They would forge new memories within that game, and once they had gotten rid of their despair, the game would be complete. They needed the help of Chihiro Fujisaki to get the programming for everything down, but now with her death, it would make it that much more complicated. Not to mention they still needed Yasuke Matsuda's Neurology notes, to figure out how the memory machine worked. So far, only one thing had been developed, an AI that would keep a close eye on everyone within the virtual setting.

However, they hadn't found a safe location for them to transfer the mainframe of the device. That was another thing, for it to truly work, the game itself needed to scan a real world place, so it could turn it into a virtual representation of it. Sonia still didn't know how it truly worked.

The phone started ringing loudly, and one of her friends picked up the call. She tore her eyes away from the screen for a few seconds, seeing the Ultimate Beta Tester standing next to her, phone in hand.

"It's for you madam." she said simply. Sonia nodded, taking a hold of the device, placing it by her ear.

"This is Sonia speaking."

" _Good to hear your voice princess. I just talked to Hiyoko not long ago."_

"Huh...are you serious Tsubaki? How is she doing? Please tell me she's okay." the girl said, her eyes brimmed with tears. She heard a giggle on the other side.

" _She's perfectly fine. She and I have been busy working our way into the foundation, sadly she decided to go rogue. She hasn't been alright in the head after Daisuke was killed."_

"I don't think either of us are Tsubaki...we spent too much time together, and seeing him dead. It ripped my heart to shreds, I don't think I'm capable of loving anyone else...that's why I need Hiyoko by my side. If she dies as well, I think I'll lose my mind." the blonde woman replied. She had wondered over to the window, glancing down at the post apocalyptic hellscape far below.

" _Yes I know...Musashi seems to have found herself some loyal people within the foundation as well. Koichi Kizakura seems to be on our side, along with Ruruka Endo. They...are aware that she was an Ultimate Despair."_

"Shit, that means Chisa must have told them...this will make things difficult."

" _I think you should let Hiyoko handle it. She's been doing well these past few weeks, she's gained their trust...no matter how little of it. Director Tengan said that as long as she acts normal, they aren't going to kill her. I don't know how long that will last however. I called because...she's planning to infiltrate the Academy."_

Sonia's eyes widened in shock. Her eyes wondered over to the Academy of Hope. The building had survived most of the tragedy, due to the renovations that had happened during the first few days. However, now where was a large mounted gun on the top of the building, which would mow down anyone or anything that got close to it. The entire campus had been rigged with surveillance cameras, making it almost impossible not to be seen. Worse yet, Monokuma units made rounds on the campus, along with Despairites, the remains of the Reserve Course.

"Is she fucking insane? Jesus I really need to slap her the next time I fucking see her!" the woman snapped angrily.

" _Now calm your tits princess...while I don't agree with her, I know she isn't changing her mind. She's trying to find Yasuke Matsuda's research data. Supposedly, it is still within the Neuroscience Lab in New Hope's Peak Academy's campus. She also wants to find something that belonged to Daisuke, to remember him by."_ Tsubaki replied, earning a sigh from Sonia.

"Keep an eye on her would you? I don't want anyone to hurt her...especially knowing Peko is in town."

" _Understood, I'll keep you posted on this encrypted line...the last thing I need is being found this early by the Foundation."_

The call ended, and Sonia looked at the phone, a frown on her face. A loud bang rung through the area, and she looked up. Big Bang Monokuma, the largest Monokuma unit to date, was currently destroying the last remaining buildings in the city. She sighed, glancing back at Akira.

"Hey, you may want to recharge that Particle Beam again, it seems Kazuichi built an even bigger Monokuma."

"Goddamn it, as if Mega Monokuma wasn't enough...I'll reroute power when I can, I'm trying to ready this satellite to we can launch it." the redhead replied.

"As you were then, as long as it doesn't come over here...we should be fine." she replied. She frowned, knowing her friends were still suffering, in the aftermath of despair's reign.


	16. Welcome Back to the Academy of Despair

**A/N: Hello and welcome to another hopefully thrilling chapter of The End of Hope's Peak Academy: Side Story Hiyoko Saionji.**

 **Following the trend of the anime, this chapter will be a Mirai-Hen chapter, detailing the present time and showing how Hiyoko is not only adapting to the new world, but also living in it. There will be mentions of a few people from the Zetzubou chapter, but they won't be making an appearance. You will all see Hiyoko's attitude toward the new world and some of the things she's learned in order to survive.**

 **Also, I looked around for the names of the humans wearing the Monokuma Helmets. I wanted to know what they did, to see if they contained some sort of brainwashing effect, but I didn't really find anything. I have dubbed them, Despairites, or those who have fallen into Despair. Class 77 is obviously known as the Remnants of Despair, though that title will be given to them after Junko's death, and those students who survived the tragedy and used to go to Hope's Peak will be known as the Remnants of Hope, a group that will be prominent in this story, as they will butt heads with the Future Foundation at some point or another. Who's their leader? Take a guess, and you'll get a shout out.**

 **I'd like to give a shout out to Mysterious Owl, for deducing who exactly Daisuke was, and even though they didn't exactly get it right, they were very close to the final answer, so for that you not only get a shout out, but a cookie as well...enjoy it my friend.**

 **Update: 6/28/17: This chapter has been edited and re uploaded. It contains various grammar fixes as well as some continuity fixes...hope you like it...**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Hiyoko Side

Act 1

Welcome Back to the Academy of Despair

Hiyoko awoke to the sounds of gunfire and screaming. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, or what time it was, but she didn't care at the moment. She grabbed a hold of her sword, holding it tightly in her hands, and lay herself flat on the couch she was on. Tears fell down her cheeks and the side of her face, soaking her hair and the cushions underneath her, but at this moment she didn't care, as long as whatever was outside stayed outside. The grating voice of Monokuma filled her ears, followed by an explosion. There was a Bomber Monokuma in the area, and when they were in the area, that meant there was either an Attack Monokuma or a Siren Monokuma, both of which were dangerous enough on their own. She wanted to desperately peek outside her window, but fear stopped her from moving.

After what felt like an eternity, the sirens and gunshots died down, returning the area to its relatively quiet state. Hiyoko brushed her sweaty locks out of her face, and mustered the courage to stand up from her couch. She slowly made her way toward the window, brushing aside a little corner of the shredded drapes. The streets below were the same as she had left them, devoid of sentient life forms. Only this time, there were a couple fresh bodies riddled with bullet holes on the side of the road. Pink blood oozed from the bodies, forming a pool of the stuff at the edge of the sidewalk, flowing into the storm drain. She held back the urge to vomit, still not used to seeing this kind of carnage.

Even after a year and a half of living in this world fueled by Despair, she wasn't used to certain things. Death was one of them, she had seen countless people die, either by choice, against their will or by complete accident. She had seen people being killed, by her fellow classmates no less, and still she wasn't used to seeing it.

She had been part of that as well, helping her beloved kill countless people in the name of Despair. He would always curse Junko Enoshima, for what she did and who she took away from them, but he would always fall into Despair. She would never be used to seeing that level of horror.

That level of despair...then again, seeing things like this, day after day, it was exactly what _she_ wanted. After deeming the area safe, she slowly stood up, still clutching her sword tightly in her hands. She moved toward the spot she had placed her small pack, pulling out her spare set of clean clothes.

She hated wearing regular clothes, always had, and most likely always would. But in these desperate times, one had to do whatever they had to to survive, even if it meant wearing clothes that they normally wouldn't wear. She made her way toward the bathroom, with her spare set of clothes in hand, along with some body wash she had salvaged from a ransacked store. She locked the door firmly, making sure no one would get in if they heard her using the shower.

She grabbed a candle from her bag, and lit it giving her a little light to work with. In this new world, the rules of survival had drastically changed, the less attention you dragged onto yourself, the better, which was why she used candles as a light source. She also placed her handgun on the counter top.

It had been Daisuke's idea for her to start carrying one. Ever since the day Hope's Peak Academy had been shut down as an institution, they had stuck together. Both of them had fallen deep into the pits of despair, and had been running around the entire country, killing those who opposed Despair. All of them had fallen at the same time...well..she was sure the real Ryouta Mitarai was also a survivor, but where ever was, was anyone's guess.

She turned the water on, quickly turning the shower head on. She stripped out of her once silky kimono, placing it and the obi on the towel rack so she could wash them later. She took her hair out of it's ponytail, letting it fall down it it's now usual length. Her hair was almost longer than Sonia's, if she hadn't cut it at least, it had been several weeks since she had heard anything from the Ex-Ultimate Princess, who was driving her country into the brink of War. After taking off her bra and panties, she stepped into the shower, the cold spray hitting her dirty skin, making her shake a bit.

Thinking back on it, none of them had been ready for this sort of outcome. She figured after the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, the school would close down until the investigation ended, only to realize that there wasn't an investigation at all. Thirteen people had gone missing, only to be revealed dead later on. The entire student council, minus one survivor, _Kiriko_ _Nishizawa_ , had been killed, and then it had been revealed that someone that used the Reserve Course funding had done it. That had put the ball in motion...no one had done anything about it, maybe if a legitimate investigation had taken place, something could have been done.

Then again, it had been Kyoko Kirigiri and her brother Hisashi Kirigiri who had started investigating the whole thing, and if they had found anything of interest, surely they would have spoken about it. She grabbed a large glob of shampoo and started to lather her long blonde hair with it. She had been debating cutting it short, but she knew that he wouldn't want her to do that. Her precious Daisuke...the one she still held dear in her heart. It took everything she had to not burst into tears in that second, she had come damn near it though. She bit the inside of her cheek focusing on the pain as she continued to scrub her scalp clean.

She couldn't help but think about him, after all of the horrible things they had done in the name of despair. She wanted to be with him and Sonia, to be married on some island, away from the world. But she took him away from her, and Sonia had been gone for awhile. It made her furious, made her want to spread despair like she had been months ago. But his hard work would be undone, and she didn't want that to happen.

Finally, after twenty minutes, she had finished her shower, and had started to dry off. Wrapped in her clean and fluffy towel, she started the long process of carefully washing her Kimono, the last real thing she had of her time in Hope's Peak Academy.

It was old, and worn, and she had torn it several times, but she wasn't going to toss it any time soon. It was the same one Daisuke had given her for Christmas. Even if it was a bit tight on her, and if it stuck to her and made her curves stand out more, she would continue wearing it. She finished washing it, and hung it on the shower curtain rod to dry, quickly donning her spare outfit.

She was now wearing a light pink tank top, with a black flower print on it. She also wore a matching pair of faded jean shorts, which were a bit too short for her, but she didn't really care at the moment. She put on a clean pair of socks, along with her worn sneakers, which she quickly tied. She grabbed her hair brush and started brushing her hair, counting to a hundred before starting the process with a different section, until it was finally all done. Nodding to herself, she grabbed her candle, katana and gun and headed into the darkened living room.

She set the candle down on the table, and sat down on the couch, looking around the room. She guessed it must have been a very nice house at one point in time, but now all of the furniture within the room was piled up against the only door. Many of the windows had been broken, allowing for the cold breeze to seep into the building. Instead of the beautiful inky blackness of the night, the sky had remained it's usual blood red, except it was darkened significantly. In this new despair filled world, there were no blue skies, and there was barely any bright sunlight.

The fires that raged all over the world, coupled by the many toxins in the air had changed the sky into it's now blood red visage. She had high hopes for it to change back one day, but until despair was eradicated, that would never happen.

While most of the world fell into despair, there were many places that still ran normally. The nearest place was Towa city, a place that seemingly kept functioning even while the world was falling in shambles. They had the Towa Corporation to thank, for building the large air purifier that kept them all alive. One had been placed in Tokyo, which was keeping their surrounding area clean of toxins as well, and was heavily guarded by the Future Foundation.

If those purifiers were destroyed well...she at least hoped death would be swift and painless.

Rumors had mentioned the Ultimate Physicist, had been the one who had worked closely with the Towa Group to create said purifiers, but she didn't know if that was true or not. She knew Monokuma had mentioned it, during one part of the School Life of Mutual Killing, but she had honestly tuned it out, not wanting to see someone get hurt or die.

She noticed her notebook had fallen to the floor, still open to the last page she had left off on. She picked it up, reading the title, a smile coming onto her face.

 _The day I met the man who would change my life._

Of course, that hadn't been the original title to this particular entree, it was named The day I met that Big Idiot the first time around, but she had hastily scratched over it with her pen. She sighed, closing the notebook, thinking it wouldn't be a wise idea to travel down memory lane just yet. She stashed it away in her pack, digging through it for some food.

She was successful in finding a granola bar, near the bottom of her pack. She had been saving it for a while, but now that she was almost out of food, she was running out of options. It was better than starving, so without a second thought, she tore the wrapped and bit into it, her nose scrounging up a bit at the stale taste.

She looked toward the windows again, the wind had picked up, enough to blow the drapes higher than before. In the distance sat the academy that was once filled with hope. The once beautiful institution, now stood as a shelter, a shelter that was supposed to be keeping the future Hope alive. The building on the outside had also been ransacked, the tall spires had been damaged with time and the once bright golden school crest, was now tarnished gray from the smoke in the area.

Still, Hope's Peak Academy stood, proudly through it all. It was truly a terrifying institution. The New Building, which was barely poking over the top of the old one, hadn't weathered easily, as most of the glass windows had been broken by the many bombings that had taken place, in order to rescue the students locked within. But the 78th Class had built the perfect cage, a cage that Junko was using to the fullest.

She already had her plan in mind. She couldn't get into the old building, as much as she wanted and as much as she tried, so that meant she would have to avoid it entirely, and search the New Building for information. In order to get by undetected, she would have to cross through the Reserve Course building, and across the East Courtyard, where the Neuroscience lab was located.

That was also a stop in her endeavor to find information. If she was able to find the notes belonging to the Ultimate Neurologist, then she could possibly help her friends who were trapped in the academy, if they made it out alive that is.

She would also have to tread lightly, in case Bryce Kotenok pulled something on them all. There was nothing she could do sure, but she would make sure he didn't make it out alive. As soon as that door opened, she would put a bullet in his head, if Monokuma didn't do it before that is.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, she tore her eyes away from the once prestigious academy, and instead looked at the table top, where she had a few documents she had taken from the Future Foundation. They detailed several plans of attack, to see if they could break into the old school building, all failures of course, but it was still valuable information to have. There were also a few other documents of interest, the most interesting being the document that spoke about the abandoned resort island chain in the Pacific, Jabberwork Island.

It seemed like a place of interest for them, meaning something was going down there, and if she had the chance, she would definitely check it out.

She swallowed the last bit of her granola bar, dropping the wrapper on the floor. Normally she would toss it, but in this world it didn't really matter where you threw your trash. She scooped up the papers in her hand, and stuffed them in her pack. She rolled her neck a bit, standing up from her seat.

She grabbed her Katana, securing the scabbard to her waist, while she attached her holster to her leg, placing her 1911A1 into it, making sure her pockets were filled with the spare magazines. She swept some locks from her eyes, looking out the window at the nearby academy. The wind blew a bit harder, ruffling her clothes a bit.

"Tsubaki, I promised I would wait for you, but I honestly can't wait anymore. I'm going to the academy." she said to herself.

She was scared, hearing her own voice filled with seriousness like that, it had made her act differently. She was nineteen now, so she figured her voice changed with age. She shook off her fear and started making her way toward the front door, pushing all of the furniture out of the way. Once done, she packed up her stuff, making sure her still drying kimono was on the bottom so her stuff wouldn't get wet.

Securing her pack on her back, she made her way out of the building, making sure to put her phone on silent this time around. She made her way down the stairs, as quietly as she could, pressing herself against the wall, gun in hand. She peeked out of the door, before making her way outside.

The distant sirens from the once active law enforcement filled the otherwise quiet area. The sounds of distant gunfire and car engines made her mind race, almost making her think rescue was on its way. She had decided after Daisuke's death to join the Future Foundation. In her mind, she figured she could figure out what they were planning. She could then relay it to her friends in the Remnants of Hope, to see if something could be done. However the Foundation wasn't exactly doing anything to help anyone. Sure they did deliver supplies and such, but they never truly did anything about the Ultimate Despairs. Everything changed however when Chisa Yukizome told him that she was an Ultimate Despair.

She had gotten beaten up of course. She had experienced the worst kind of pain, especially after what had happened to her. Munakata had been about to kill her, when Chisa shook it off, screaming that the girl was her previous student. Somehow convinced, He had decided to let her live for the time being. She had remained with them, learning everything she could before finally going rogue.

The funny thing was that the man still didn't know his beloved Chisa was an Ultimate Despair, and she didn't have the heart to tell him. She didn't know what the woman would do in her unpredictable state of mind, so she had decided to remain quiet about the subject.

It wasn't long before they met up with a few other members of the Foundation who were working on their own agendas. Musashi Togami, was the only other living Togami in the world was another person she had met. She had been acting different ever since the killing game had started.

She had expressed quite a deal about her thoughts on the foundation, but at the moment it was the only hope she had of seeing her brother, so she was using what was left of her large conglomerate to help them out, as well as fund their many projects. They had also met Ezekiel Morales, the ex-Ultimate Doomsday Prepper, it was thanks to him that they had enough supplies to last them as long as they did. Of course, Hiyoko pretended to meet him for the first time, as he was also part of the Remnants, alongside Musashi. It was all part of their elaborate scheme in the end.

She still couldn't believe it was Sylvia that originally formed the Remnants. It had been quite the shock...the name being slightly stupid...if she was being honest. Remnants of Hope had been the title she had given them, and it had since then stuck. It was an ironic title, especially being the one given to two former Ultimate Despairs, but Daisuke had told her to remain silent. One of few survivors of Class 76A she still talked too was Tatsumi Kiba, the ex-Ultimate Pilot, who used his skills to aid the remaining air force in delivering supplies to various strongholds across the world.

She had also heard from Musashi, that three of their classmates had fallen into Despair, and had disappeared from the face of the planet, and no matter how far she searched, she couldn't locate them, and that was something that scared her.

She moved toward a crashed car, and pressed herself against it, stopping only to screw on the silencer Ezekiel had given her. She hadn't used her gun much, but she found it to be very effective against the Attack Monokumas, if she was able to hit them directly on the red eye. If not, the bullet would bounce off, and then that would make them come to you, something that wasn't what she wanted happening.

Once she knew she was clear, she raced toward the next intersection, making sure not to make too much nose. The cold breeze of the night was at least keeping her from breaking out into a sweat, something that she hated due to it ruining her kimono. The lack of deodorant was also something that annoyed her about this new world, but she couldn't complain about it at the moment.

She was forced to stop at the next intersection, as there were several Attack Monokuma's meandering about, as well as few _Despairites_ , what she had been calling the twisted human beings wearing the Monokuma helmets. Dealing with one was alright, but if they were in pairs or in groups, it was hard to deal with them. They had no morals, no goals other than causing despair. How humanity had fallen into that state was beyond her, but she had an assumption, that the Monokuma helmets were controlling and warping their minds.

She vaguely remembered, being the one who had handed brainwashed humans those helmets. She remembered the concert Daisuke had given to those survivors. Aside from the meeting with Sylvia, it had been the last time they had seen each other in months. She buried those memories, focusing on other thoughts.

This was also why she needed the Ultimate Neurologists notes, so she could help revert humans back to their previous state, before they fell into despair. She had a hunch that his technology was inside those helmets, but that was just a hunch. She carefully made her way across the street, making sure not to alert them. She breathed a sigh of relief once she had made it, only to step on a shard of glass. She grit her teeth, hoping it wasn't enough to alert them.

" _Enemy spotted! Enemy spotted!"_

"Shit." she hissed, breaking into a dead sprint.

She spared a glance over her shoulder, seeing the Monokuma's waddling after her, claws drawn. She wasn't worried about them, she was worried about the Despairites that were currently sprinting at her. Her eyes widened, pupils shrinking a bit as she started hauling ass, as to not be killed. She rapidly turned the corner, diving in an alleyway, pressing herself against a dumpster. She held her hand over her mouth, to quiet her breath down. Her hands were shaking, and she almost dropped her gun at one point.

The Despairites had stopped at the entrance of the alleyway, and were looking around, the beeping from their helmets growing closer. She quickly unscrewed her silencer off her gun, shoving it in her backpack before holstering her gun.

Getting a good aim at them with her gun wouldn't help, as their heads were shielded by metal. She had one shot at killing them, and that was by stabbing them through the heart. She put her hand on the hilt of her Katana, drawing it slowly, the beautiful blade glittering in the blood red moonlight. Once one of them was close enough, she drew it out, stabbing it through the man's heart. She pulled the blade free, not wasting any time, she moved onto the woman, swinging her sword in an upward motion, slicing the woman cleanly in half.

Her body dropped to the ground, a sickening splash echoing through alleyway. She swung her sword, splashing the excess blood on the brick wall beside her before sheathing her sword. She made her way out of the alleyway, trying to hold what little food she had in her stomach.

It had been the first time she had actually killed humans, in her right mind at least. She had killed off hundreds while in Despair. She had fought them off before, but this time she couldn't.

Now that she had, she felt horrible. She never wanted any of this, she used to enjoy the misery of people she didn't know, but now that misery was only destroying her on the inside. It was despair through and through, and the guilt in her heart was becoming a burden she didn't want to face alone.

When she was close to falling back into despair, she always saw his face, heard his voice and she would be brought back to her normal self. She would have hope, she was his hope, just as much as he was hers, and as long as she kept him in her mind, she wouldn't be falling into despair.

After a while, the Attack Monokumas had passed by her without an issue, and she was able to come out of the alleyway unscathed. She looked around for a few seconds, before dashing across the street. Getting ever closer to the academy, she decided to slow down a bit to catch her breath. She looked down at her shirt, seeing a bit of blood had gotten on it. A sigh escaped her lips, as she realized that she would have to scavenge around for a new one.

She passed by another open street, seeing more Despairites lingering around. She grit her teeth, hurrying along before they noticed. One thing she had realized in the year she had been running around the city, it was that the Despairites had strengthened senses. They were able to hear at near perfect levels, and their sense of smell was even better than a Black bear's. But when Despair induced animals were running amok, killing anything in sight, you tended to worry less about the brainwashed humans.

She pressed herself against a wall, looking around the corner. Hope's Peak Academy was just a few blocks away. The large building, was still as ominous as she remembered. The large towers, built out of bright red bricks, which were cracked due to _The Tragedy_ , still held the academy together. The trees around the academy, once bright and lush green, were now dead and decayed, their limbs broken and littering the ground where they once stood.

The iron gates had been knocked to the ground, and were rusted over from the rainstorms and lack of maintenance. A few dead bodies had been speared on the sharp fence, still dressed in the familiar black uniforms that bore the insignia of the Reserve Course.

Everything had gone down hill after that incident took place. 267 Reserve Course students were driven to despair by Daisuke, with the use of Junko Enoshima's Black Book of Despair. In their confusion they committed suicide. It still saddened and disgusted her to see that several bodies hadn't been removed, especially during the forced sheltering of Hope's Peak Academy.

She guessed that in their haste to get everything up, they couldn't take care of the bodies. It disgusted her to no end, realizing that securing a building was a bigger priority than burying the dead. Then again they did hide the deaths of the Student Council members from everyone with a blatant lie. If the family members of those students were still alive somewhere, she would make it her personal mission to show them to their resting places, located in a plot behind the school grounds.

She took a deep breath, swallowing her nerves as she made her way toward the Reserve Course Building. She stopped at the front gates, drawing her gun from her holster. She screwed the silencer back on it, and pulled her flashlight from her back pocket.

She made her way toward the entrance hall, avoiding the broken glass that once made up the doors. She clicked her light on as she passed through the doors into the hallway.

She looked around, making sure there were no cameras in the area. She had learned the hard way that sneaking into the Hope's Peak Courtyard was gonna be harder then ever, due to the cameras placed all around the outside of the building. Staying in their blind spot wasn't an issue, it was getting found that worried her, especially with the large Gatling guns secured to the walls of the academy.

She had devised an easier plan, which had her going through the Reserve Course building, and across the skywalk toward the faculty building, where she hoped to find some answers behind the biggest enigma since this whole plague started.

 _The Hope Cultivation Project._

She had heard the name from Jin Kirigiri at one point, when she had inadvertently eavesdropped on his conversation with Hisashi and Kyoko. Daisuke had later revealed most of the information to them, the day the world came to an end. Izuru Kamukura had been the cause of Class 76B's massacre, or rather he had been a patsy for their deaths, the true mastermind being Junko Enoshima.

While she was here though, she figured she would try to find some paperwork from the Reserve Course students. She had a small theory, that one of the students was put through the experiment, and had resulted in Izuru Kamukura. After all, one of the things she had heard from Chisa regarded a missing student from the Reserve Course that she wasn't able to pinpoint...if she could find those files then maybe she could get some information about him and track him down.

She climbed up the stairs, making sure no one was after her, once on the next floor, she walked down the hall, looking around for any signs of life.

All of the classrooms were in disarray, the desks were overturned, and the windows were broken, papers were strewn everywhere, and there was even a few bodies in one classroom, covered in dried pink blood. She tried not to look at them, as she made her way toward the third floor. She remembered the Headmaster's office being somewhere on the third floor, from the few times she had accompanied Mahiru to this building to have lunch with her friend Sato.

Thinking about her surrogate sister made her breath hitch, and she tried not to cry. She remembered those soulless red eyes, once filled with happiness and hope, were now filled with nothing but despair. She kept going on about taking photographs about people in despair, so she could spread them through the world. Her sick twisted vision would make headlines, as most of the pictures taken for the global newspapers were submitted by her.

Everyone got to see the carnage of the tragedy, in high definition due to the pictures she took. She didn't even recognized her anymore, then again all of her close friends had changed in their despair ridden confusion.

Finding the Headmaster's office, she made her way inside with no issue, as the door had been unlocked. She got to the other end of the room, looking around at the pretty basic set up. The furniture was overturned, and some of the cupboards filled with files had been emptied onto the floor. She ignored those and kept walking toward the large mahogany desk in the back of the room, sitting down on the chair that was behind it.

She started looking around the desk, trying to find anything of use. She had noticed the filing cabinets had locks on them, so she assumed the keys were somewhere inside the desk. Unable to find anything of use, she figured she would have to pick the lock in order to open it.

She looked at the computer, which was in relatively good shape. She pressed the power button, expecting nothing to happen, but she was quite surprised to see it power on.

She didn't even think the building was still on the grid, seeing as most power stations had been overtaken by Despairites and an Ultimate Electrician belonging to the incoming 80th class. The monitor turned on and soon she was greeted by the school profile belonging to the principle, as well as a password prompt.

"Damn...it can never be easy can it?" she muttered under her breath.

She set her gun down, and rose her flashlight up, looking at the things strewn on the desk. She saw a few post it notes, and some framed pictures, but nothing out of the ordinary. She picked up a picture frame, which had a little girl on it, with bright blue eyes and vibrant green hair. She guessed this was the man's daughter, someone who he held dear and most likely lost in all of this. She took the picture out of the frame, and looked behind it. She smirked, upon finding just what she needed written on the picture. She quickly typed the password, gaining access to the system.

It didn't take her long to scour through the files, finding several useless things and things that didn't matter at all. She deemed the computer useless, and moved onto the filing cabinets, quickly getting them open. She was greeted with the file of the recently expelled students of the Reserve Course. Finding this interesting, she decided to sit down and take a look at it, the first person that she saw was a student named Hajime Hinata. His picture was stamped with the Expulsion mark on it. She took the application from the file, reading it thoroughly.

"This is interesting...Hajime Hinata was expelled, the same day that Nagito blew up the gym...that's to much of a coincidence. I'm sure Chiaki talked about this _Hinata_ before." she muttered to herself. She sighed, placing her head on the desk, the thought of her deceased friend bringing a sharp stinging to her heart.

"Oh Chiaki...you wanted to change things, you wanted to unite us and make us a family...and this was your reward." she said, a few tears slipping from her eyes.

She shook her head and placed the application back inside the file, shoving the whole thing into her backpack. Surely there was more information about Hinata contained within, information that she would be sure to check when she was in a secured space.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door slamming shut. She bolted to her feet, grabbing her gun tightly in her hand, all the while turning off and shoving her flashlight into her pocket. She pressed herself against the wall next to the doorway, peeking out from it. She didn't see anyone, but she couldn't be so sure about it either. She had been sloppy, and gotten to comfortable in the office, she needed to find a way to get out and not attract..whatever had been wondering in the building.

" _Are you sure it's in here?"_

" _Pretty sure...the door to the Skybridge should lead us toward the Faculty Building on the East Side of Hope's Peak Academy proper."_

Those voices, they were talking about getting to faculty building? But what for? One of them sounded male...a young male at that, most likely fourteen or fifteen years old, while the female seemed to be older. What was their reasoning for being here in the first place?

Even she didn't dare enter the Main Course courtyard all willy nilly. It had taken her weeks of planning to even get as far as she had, without being detected no less, and here were two unknown people, waltzing in like they owned the place.

It didn't make sense...and the only plausible thing she could think of was the obvious one. They were Despairites, except without the helmets..meaning they had either joined Junko willingly, or they were part of the Hope's Peak Alumni. Steeling her nerves, she finally decided to act, and moved out of the Headmaster's office, heading toward the stairwell at the other end of the hallway, and into the fourth floor. She raced down the hall, trying not to attract any attention toward her. Years mastering the art of dance had lightened her steps, so she was practically soundless as she ran.

Making it to the final floor of the building, she was able to reach the doors that lead to the Skybridge, only to find that they were firmly locked. She tested the doors, almost wanting to shout when they wouldn't budge. She took a deep breath and backed away from the door, holding her gun to the lock. Two swift shots and the lock was broken, but not before the voices had caught up to her. She quickly turned around, holding her gun up at the two.

"Whoa...don't shoot." the boy said.

Her initial assumption had been correct. This boy looked to be around fifteen years of age, with light tan skin, and dark brown hair. His eyes were a vibrant green in color, nowhere near the red she was used to seeing. He was wearing a worn red tee shirt, which was torn in places, and had several pink stains on it. He was wearing a pair of green shorts, which were also covered in pink stains. Finally, he wore a pair of worn sneakers, the laces being frayed, most likely running all the time. The woman next to him, was most likely around Hiyoko's age.

She had soft auburn hair, which was a bit frizzy and greasy. It ran down to her mid back, and was held back by black pins. She was wearing a tank top, which was a light green in color, though it was being covered by an apron, which was a dark shade of gray, and was also covered in blood. She wore a black skirt underneath it, which reached to above her knees, and was wearing a lavender boots, with a slight heel. Both of them had guns in their hands, the girl had an MP5 in her hands, while the boy had a .357 magnum in his, how he can handle that was beyond her.

"We mean you no harm, we just want to get to the Skybridge." the girl said, taking a step forward.

Hiyoko wasn't having any of it, and decided to let off a warning shot, hitting the glass window next to the girl, forcing her back. The boy pulled the hammer of his gun back, preparing to shoot.

"Don't shoot her Satoshi, she's just scared and paranoid, just like we are." the girl said.

"What if she's part of those Despair freaks? The ones from Class 77?" he asked. Hiyoko glared at the young boy, almost wanting to shoot him.

"So what if I am part of Class 77?" she said defensively.

"So you are? See I knew it, she's one of those Ultimate Despairs, the ones that started The Tragedy." he said.

"Satoshi, stop jumping to conclusions. You can't just assume she's an Ultimate Despair right off the bat." the girl said.

"Just to let the two of you know, you are correct about me being part of Class 77, my name is Hiyoko Saionji, Ultimate Traditional Dancer. I used to be part of the Ultimate Despair, but I snapped out of it." she said, softly but firmly. The girl's eyes widened, looking at the younger boy for a brief second before directing her gaze back at her.

"I'm so glad we ran into you then. My name is Kagura Endo, the Ultimate Painter. I'm part of Class 78 B. This is my friend Satoshi Kojiro, the Super Middle School Level Autobody Specialist." She said, introducing the young man. Hiyoko looked at her in confusion.

"Super Middle School what?"

"Oh, that's the title I was given when I left Hope's Peak Elementary School an entered Whispering Oaks Middle School, a subschool from the Hope's Peak Academy charter program. It's one of three middle schools located around the world. If you graduate from it, you get instantly accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. I'm in the Eighth Grade...or was at least before all of this happened." he said.

"We found each other a few months back, supposedly, there were rumors of Class 79 still being active in the city, and doing everything in their power to save Class 78B from Junko's sick game. There were also rumors of three students of Class 77B still being active within the city, calling themselves the Remnants of Hope, we were hoping to run into one of you so we could join you." she said happily. Hiyoko spat at the ground, clearly angry at what she had heard. She looked back at the greasy hared girl, a look of pure hatred in her eyes.

"There is no Remnants of Hope, and no you can't join. The Remnants of Hope were never a real thing, never a true organization. So you can forget about joining them. Now, tell me why you are in the Reserve Course building and why you need to reach the East Plaza?"

"So, you heard us huh?" Kagura said, shaking her head.

"We have a theory regarding the information surrounding the deaths of Class 76B. We figured, if we couldn't join the Remnants of Hope, we could at least offer up that information to the Future Foundation so we could join them." the boy said.

"Pfft...you in the Future Foundation? Get real...those imbeciles don't know how to do shit. All they do is go around, pretending to help when they truly can't do anything about the situation. If they were a real help, then my friends within the academy wouldn't be dying right now." She snapped angrily.

"We, we both agreed that the Future Foundation isn't doing shit, but if it ensures that I'll be alive through this hell on earth, then I would gladly join them. Everyone I knew is dead, all of Class 78A was killed as a result of that bitch. I don't want Satoshi to die a victim of this world, so I'm doing it for him. So, now that we ran into you, will you help us? Or will you just ignore us like the rest of the adults we ran into back there?" she asked firmly.

Hiyoko narrowed her eyes in thought. She had to admit, the girl had spirit of a fighter. She had survived through the tragedy and was still wondering around the city, unaffected by Junko's influence. She even saw the hope in her eyes, the hope to fight for what was right, to change the world back to the way it was, to live and fight for the ones that had lived through it. She was truly a Remnant of Hope, not just in name, but also because she was a survivor of Hope's Peak Academy, one of the few that still remained. She vaguely remembered her, now that she was actually paying attention to her. She was one of the people they faced off against during the Spelling Bee. That memory brought a smile to her face. After a few seconds, she gave her a nod, turning around to face the doors.

"Alright, I'll help you, but only because I have things to do in the East Plaza myself. But after we are done there, we are going on our separate ways, there's no way in hell I'm gonna babysit someone who can potentially be my downfall. Keep up!" she snapped, passing through the doors. Satoshi sighed angrily.

"What a bitch. She truly is an Ultimate Despair."

"Oh hush up you...can't you see it? She must have lost so much already, especially knowing that she and her classmates were the ones that did all of this. I don't blame her for acting this way...we best not keep her waiting." Kagura said.

She started taking brisk steps toward the Skybridge doors. Satoshi wasn't sure she could trust the blonde dancer, but it was better than going at it alone. At least it was an Ultimate student that they had found, and not an Ultimate Despair...that wouldn't bode well for anyone.


	17. The Neuroscience of Hiyoko Saionji

**A/N: Holy shit on a shingle...it took me a long ass time to finish this chapter. I don't even know How was able to pull this off, but I freaking did, and I hope you will all enjoy it. This is by far the longest chapter for this series that I have written, ending at an even 45 pages. The longest chapter I had written for Danganronpa was the School Life Prologue, which was 42 pages even. I can't even express the amount of time it took to make this, so please tell me how I did.**

 **This is a Mirai-Hen chapter, picking up where the last one left off. You've already met Daisuke, and you'll get to see more of him in the next Zetzubou-Hen chapter, so sit tight while I get to work on it, provided there are no distractions on the horizon.**

 **Speaking of Zetzubou-Hen, I saw today's episode and all I can say is, Holy Shit...I didn't think Junko could be so freaking cunning, but she keeps on surprising me. I love when a character is created like this, totally unpredictable whenever their on screen, this is what it felt like watching that episode, i didn't know what she would say or do next, truly a good one, since the Mirai-Hen episode was a bit weak, even if it was an Ultra Despair Girls episode, I wanted to see Hinata and the fucking army of ships damn it, but it was alright...and also...Nagito Komaeda...that bastard is all levels of fucked up. Jesus Christ...**

 **Anyway, here is the latest chapter of The End of Hope's Peak Academy Side Story: Hiyoko Saionji Mirai-Hen...man that's a mouthful.**

 **Shout out to Hong Cong, your oc Rumi makes her debut in this chapter, and she will also appear in the next one. Hope you enjoy it buddy!**

 **Update: 6/28/17: This chapter has been edited with some new content as well as various grammatical and continuity fixes...there is a bit of an extended beginning as well, so I hope you all like it.**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Hiyoko Side

Act 2

The Neuroscience of Hiyoko Saionji

Hiyoko sighed angrily as she pressed herself in against the wall. Satoshi and Kagura were a few steps behind her, keeping watch of her back. They had reached the Skybridge without any issues, only to see that it had been completely destroyed, severing the connection between the two buildings. They had been forced to retreat, and cross the courtyard on foot, but had run into a problem when they saw all of the Monokumas walking around the once empty courtyard.

Beast Monokumas along with Bomber and Siren Monokumas, some of the most annoying variations of the black and white bear she had to deal with. She spotted a Ball Monokuma on top of the cafeteria roof, just watching over all of the other foot soldiers. Those weren't a problem to deal with, a swift shot to the eye took care of them, it was the Siren Monokumas that she was worried about. She had dealt with them before, on accident.

She had easily found out that they attracted the attention of both Attack Monokumas and Despairites, something that she wasn't equipped to handle at the moment. She counted all of the units walking around, seeing that there were forty five, at least. She had enough ammunition on her to deal with them all, but that was only if she got a perfect shot every time, something that only a marksman can do.

"So...how was it that you snapped out of Despair?" Kagura asked curiously, earning a huff from Hiyoko.

She brushed her sweaty locks out of her eyes, having a hard time breathing. She had her friend Kazuichi to thank for that. She glanced at the two, her eyes flashing crimson for a few seconds.

"My fiancee was the one who figured it out. We were brainwashed by a video, one made with despair...but he theorized that if he read something filled with hope, we would snap out of it. However we do tend to relapse...the last time I did, I killed two hundred people." she said.

"Then why fuck are we with you? Why don't we just kill you and take your head to the foundation?" Satoshi asked, aiming his revolver at the girl.

"Do it, go ahead and kill me, just know that the two of you are fucked, should those Monokuma units hear it. Besides, my girlfriend is out there, still as an Ultimate Despair. The second she finds out you two killed me, she will make your lives a living hell. She will cut your skin off, flay your fingers to the bone, and make you drink your own blood. So don't fuck with me, lest you want to die with despair on your mind." she said, giving him a grin.

" _Christ that was fucked up...maybe I'm getting close to the time limit...I need to read that book again, before I ended up relapsing."_

They all remained silent, as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer continued watching the Monokuma units. Satoshi however was getting impatient. She could tell by his constant fidgeting, and the fact that he kept tapping his foot. It was honestly starting to piss her off.

"So, are we going to move or are we gonna stand here eating shit?" Satoshi asked, not at all keeping his voice down.

Hiyoko puffed her cheeks, looking at the young man with an angry glare. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to help them, two people she didn't know. Hell, she wasn't that familiar with anyone from Class 78A. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the grip on her gun tightening a bit.

"Listen _kid,_ you don't understand the gravity of our situation. There are more than forty Monokuma units wondering around out there, all of them are capable of not only slashing you to bits, but blowing you to smithereens. Once they're done with you, they'll have to scrape your insides off the walls, if there are any left that is. We can't just waltz in there like we own the place and _hope_ they don't notice us." she snapped angrily.

"Don't call me kid! We've been standing here eating shit for half an hour, either we go now or we don't go at all." Satoshi snapped.

"Hey, don't start giving her shit. She agreed to help us Satoshi, it's not the time to start questioning her. We haven't dealt with many of these Monokuma units, where she clearly has, so wait until she makes a sound decision." Kagura said, slapping the back of his neck.

"Jeez, keep it down. You are both going to get me killed." Hiyoko hissed quietly, looking back at the Monokuma units who were still wondering around.

"Sorry Hiyoko, we're not trying to bring attention to ourselves." Kagura said, speaking a bit quieter.

Hiyoko snapped her attention back to the Monokumas, finally coming up with an idea. If she could get the attention of the bomb Monokuma, then she could probably get rid of some of the surrounding ones. It all took patience and coordination, something she hoped she had as she was still a bit rusty with a gun.

She nodded to herself, and cautiously made her way out of the building, taking cover behind a sturdy tree. Satoshi was going to move after her, but she held her hand up, telling him silently to stay in place.

She took aim at the Bomb Monokuma, letting off a single shot that ricocheted of it's head. It turned around, red eyes glowing ominously. These models didn't have the grating voice she had grown to hate, just a series of growls and screeches. It reached behind it's back, pulling several grenades from behind it's back. She rolled out of the way, avoiding the grenades tossed at her, all of them going off with a loud boom.

Now that she had it's focus, she could bring it over to where the other ones were at, somehow still oblivious to the whole thing. She let out a chuckle once she got it near a group of Monokumas, before taking a shot at it's eye. It hit home, it's head sparking a bit before it fell back, finally detonating.

Dismembered pieces of the once active units flew all over the place, littering the ground. She quickly took out the remaining Siren Monokuma as to not bring out attention to herself. Looking around, she saw that the number had diminished from the forty or so units to at least fifteen, still a hefty number to deal with.

"Damn it, I was hoping that single blast cleared them all for me." she muttered under her breath.

Gun shots started filling her ears, and she turned around, eyes widened in shock. She looked back, seeing Satoshi and Kagura, being surrounded by more Monokuma units that she hadn't seen. She grit her teeth and turned around to help them, only for a blur of black and white to dash past her.

A Beast Monokuma, a unit that she didn't like dealing with. These were well known killers, their eyes were bright red and erratic, their gaping maws were filled with rows of sharp teeth, and their claws were sharp enough to slice through a car. They were Attack Monokuma's on crack, at least to her. She took a hesitant step back, keeping her eyes on the beast in front of her, the sounds of the Ball Monokuma filling her ears. She wasn't gonna die, not here not now.

"Hey, are you gonna help us?" Satoshi shouted, fear in his voice. He was struggling to load more bullets into his revolver.

Even though Hiyoko wanted to try her hardest to help them, she wasn't going to risk her life for those she didn't know. It was the rule of the new world. She jumped back, avoiding the slash thrown at her by the Beast Monokuma. She almost tripped on a block that was on the ground, most likely from the previous explosion. She took aim at the Beast Monokuma, who was growling fiercely at her. Her aim shifted to the Ball Monokuma, who was slowly making it's way to her, and finally she took aim at the Attack Monokumas surrounding the Ultimate Painter and the Super Middle School Level Autobody Specialist.

Her aim shook for a bit, and she let out a few shots, hitting the back of the robotic bear, which seemed to aggravate them even more. Her gun clicked empty, and she took a quick step back to load another magazine into it. Screams filled her ears, as one of the Monokuma's finally attacked, slicing Satoshi clean in half.

She looked away from them, as a second unit stabbed it's claws straight through Kagura's head, killing her instantly. She let out an angry scream, firing at the Beast Monokuma in front of her, killing it instantly, she fired at the Ball Monokuma, who was now rolling at her at fast speeds, resembling that of a famous hedgehog she used to love as a kid.

Suddenly, it was sliced in half falling apart before it even had a chance to hit her.

All around her, the Monokuma units started short circuiting and exploding, a pink mist being left behind along with a few Sakura flower petals. Hiyoko could only stare dumbly at everything that was happening, but she didn't question it instead she ran toward the Hope's Peak Academy Faculty building, as it was the closest place she could hide in. Once she had made it inside the building, she shut the doors behind her, taking a few deep breaths before sliding down to the floor, tears in her eyes.

"Oh god, I couldn't save them...even after I told them I would help them, I failed." she sobbed, the tears now running down her face.

"It wasn't your fault Hiyoko."

She looked up, stunned that someone was inside the building, let alone someone that knew her name. The same pink blur that she had seen before appeared before her, actually turning into a person.

It was a young woman, around five foot one in height, with long dark purple hair, and vibrant blue eyes. She was wearing a set of black robes, which fit her form quite nicely. It left her arms bare, showing a few scars that had healed over time. She wore a pair of leather arm guards, with purple lacing on them.

Around her waist was a black belt, securely tied around her waist, keeping her outfit on her small body. She was wearing long black socks, and black sandals. On her legs she was wearing some shin guards, which were also in leather, but looked a bit worn. Lastly she had two ninjato secured around her waist. She reached up to her face, lowering them mask that was covering her features. Hiyoko sighed in relief, finally seeing who it was.

"Jesus, Rumi you gave me a heart attack."

This young woman was Rumi Shimada, the ex-Ultimate Kunoichi.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to scare you." she said shyly, taking a few steps away from the blonde girl. Hiyoko hastily wiped her eyes with her arms, standing up. She walked up to Rumi, bopping her over the head.

"Apologizing isn't going to help me get over it all. Jeez I thought you were a murderer." she snapped.

"Sorry...however, I just came to make sure you were okay. After what just happened." Rumi said, looking away from the girl.

"I'm fine, I couldn't save them, and it isn't my fault. In this world, you can't save everyone and I've grown used to it. I suppose I should thank you for taking care of those Monokuma units. But I didn't need your help." she said.

"From where I stood, you needed more than just my help. Coming to the academy alone? Are you stupid Hiyoko? You can't just come here without preparing first."

"Oh, like you would know about a thing or two about being prepared. When shit the fan you took off, literally disappearing off the face of the earth, what happened to the survivors of your class? Otoki? Asuka?" she asked angrily.

"They're still around...Asuka is taking care of all the lost children back at the Future Foundation headquarters, and Otoki is in town, trying to track down Peko and Fuyuhiko." she replied.

"Those two are in town? For what exactly?"

"I dunno...ever since you all fell into despair, they've been inactive, at least in this area. Apparently, Fuyuhiko has been working on strengthening his despair filled Yakuza army, and he keeps calling Peko his tool, further bringing her into despair." Rumi said firmly.

"Those two are a match made in heaven, even before all of this I knew Peko had feelings for him. Although finding that she was a hitman trained to be his retainer, sheesh, that was something I could have lived without knowing." she said, the thought of her being close friends with a specialized killer really gave her the creeps.

"Whatever the case, now that I have run into you, I can't simply let you keep wondering around campus alone, especially knowing Junko. She has her eyes all over this place, how she didn't see you was beyond me."

"She's probably to focused giving the people inside the academy their next motive." Hiyoko said, checking over her gun. She had a spare magazine left, but knowing she was running out of ammunition was really making her worried.

"Perhaps, however I have been keeping an eye on this area for the last few days, and I did see something interesting. One of our underclassmen, the Ultimate Surgeon has been going in and out of the academy through a secured back door, and recently, he was carrying Mukuro Ikusaba's unconscious body with him."

"That bitch is still alive?" Hiyoko cried, eyes widening in shock.

She was surprised to hear that one of the Despair Twins was still alive and active. She had seen her get killed by Mondo Owada and had seen the First Class trial. She hadn't tuned into anything after that, but knowing that that she was still alive meant that she could exploit her, maybe get the upper hand on Junko.

"Alright, where is she being kept?" she asked.

"The Neuroscience Lab. I saw Akihiko dragging her over there, muttering things under his breath, about a girl named Ryouko Otonashi."

"The Ultimate Analyst?" Hiyoko asked curiously.

"I believe so...I thought that girl was a victim of the Tragedy of Hope's Peak, I didn't think she was still alive."

"She's not. There wasn't a body found that belonged to her, meaning that she could also be active, and a member of Despair. That means they have an analytic person in their ranks, a person that we have to take out. This is perfect, I'll not only get those notes, but I'll also be able to take out two major hitters in this war. That will show the foundation not to mess with me, Junior member my ass!" she cried happily.

"Well, since you have clearly made up your mind, I suppose I'll accompany you. I did say I would before, but don't do anything stupid, I may not be able to help you if you get way in over your head." Rumi said.

"Yeah yeah, don't get your ninja robes in a twist. I've made it out this long haven't I?" she asked, brushing past the shorter girl.

"I'm a Kunoichi, not a Ninja." she said.

"Same difference." the blonde said, popping a few gummies into her mouth. She had been saving them for a while, but she was really happy and she wasn't one to let good gummies go to waste.

As much as she wanted to search through the files contained within the Faculty building, Hiyoko quickly realized that she couldn't. Not only because she was on a schedule, but also because the doors leading to the stairs had been sealed with the same metal slabs that had been placed on the windows of the academy.

They made it across the building, reaching another severed Skybridge, the one that lead to the Third Floor of Hope's Peak Academy, the Kunoichi easily made her way through the rubble, while Hiyoko was taking careful steps as to not hurt herself. They reached a secured spot, only for Rumi to stop, she snapped her fingers, pointing to the large security camera mounted on the side of the building.

The camera was high grade, capable of seeing in a wide panoramic view, and they happened to be in it's path. Luckily Rumi reacted fast enough, and was able to teleport the two away from its line of sight, leaving behind several Sakura petals and a bit of pink smoke. The appeared behind a large slab of rock, a remainder of the Skybridge, where they couldn't be seen.

"Shit, I didn't think she would have cameras installed near this area." Rumi said.

"I thought the academy only had them placed at the front entrance?" Hiyoko said.

"Originally yes, but after Junko took over the school, she got more security cameras installed, while everyone was getting their memories wiped. We'll have to find another way to get to the East Courtyard. Maybe we can go through the dormitory building and walk around it." she said.

"Isn't the dormitory building filled with Despairites?"

"Yes, all of them belong to the Reserve Course, while most are wearing helmets, most are also Ultimate Despair. We can sneak by without attracting any attention, but it's gonna be hard. There are a lot of people, and very little margin for error." She said.

"How about we just take the camera out? What's the worst she can do? Send more Monokuma units at us? I would rather deal with those than with Despairites." Hiyoko said, eyeing the camera closely.

Rumi shook her head, looking over her should to see if they were still clear. It was a few blocks until the entrance of the Dormitory Building. They would have to hop a large iron gate, but they would be able to do it, easily.

"No, trust me this is a much better idea. It won't be that long to cross the dorms."

"I'm not going in there Rumi. There are people there, people that need help, and I am not killing anymore of them." Hiyoko said sternly. Rumi shook her head, a low sigh escaping her lips.

"Why do you care about _them_? The Reserve Course students ruined our lives, they did this all. Not the Ultimate students, the Reserve Course students. Their tuition funded the Izuru Kamukura project, their the cause for my friends deaths." She snapped.

"You forget that I was part of the ones who brought this world to an end. The Reserve Course isn't solely to blame, not when one of the Generals of Despair is right in front of you."

"It doesn't matter, they started with Izuru Kamukura, and the Reserve Course killed the other Ultimates! They're responsible!"

"No they're not. Junko is the cause of their deaths, Mukuro is the cause of their deaths, not the Reserve Course students. Sure, the Trustees fucked up, creating a person like that, but it doesn't matter. If Junko hadn't shown up in this academy, none of this would have happened." Hiyoko replied. She looked away from the Kunoichi, a sour look on her face.

"Besides, my class isn't exactly filled with saints either."

"You talk like you know what you are talking about. All of my friends are dead!"

"You don't think I know that? _Christ_! My friends are still out there, causing havoc all over the fucking world. I had to sit there and watch as they all slowly fell to Despair, as they all changed. Their fun loving personalities became twisted. I had to watch Mahiru taking pictures of corpses for her own enjoyment, I had to watch Akane and Nekumaru beat the living shit out of random people for fun. I had to watch Tanaka trample hundreds of innocent people with a herd of elephants.

Sonia destroyed her country, and Kazuichi built the executions my other friends are currently witnessing. Chiaki's death turned us to despair, Daisuke died trying to find a cure for us. You can't look at me and tell me I don't know what I am talking about, your friends met a swift death, so be glad about that. I still have to watch my friends fall deeper and deeper into despair...they're dead-men walking...and there is nothing I can do about it." she said angrily, wiping the fresh tears with the back of her hand.

She steeled her nerves and took aim at the camera, letting out three swift shots. The device exploded, pieces of it falling to the ground in a heap, sparks coming from the sides. She cracked her neck, and shoved her gun in her holster, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"You wanna go through the Dorms, fine by me. I'll be at the Neuroscience Lab taking care of business." she said firmly.

Rumi watched the blonde go, feeling ashamed with herself. Hiyoko was right...when everything hit the fan, she just disappeared, leaving with her clan to go deal with the problem their own way. They didn't know anything.

Hiyoko had been there, watching Chiaki die, slowly becoming the Members of Despair everyone feared. Her friends had been killed sure, but in the end, it was Hiyoko who had it the worst. She had done the killing, and that was something she would never forget. She slapped her cheeks, knocking some sense into herself. Silently, she dashed after the blonde girl, trying not to attract attention to herself.

 _ **xxx**_

"What the hell? One of the cameras went offline!"

Junko watched the screens around her, looking at the one blinking red one, which read offline. She typed a few things on the control panel, trying to get access from the security cameras all around her, but they were quickly being taken out. Already, six of the outdoor cameras had been destroyed. She grit her teeth, slamming her fists against the panel.

"So, someone wants to play with Junko? I suppose I can entertain them." she said with a grin, she turned around pressing one of the blinking red buttons on the panel, she cleared her throat grabbing the microphone that was beside her.

"Peko, are you in town?"

" _Yes Mistress Junko, what do you need of me?"_ the smooth voice of the Ex-Ultimate Swordswoman replied.

"Be a dear and come to the academy. It seems someone is messing with the camera system. I need a worthless tool like you to check it out for me."

" _Yes Mistress. I shall be there shortly."_

Junko smirked, sitting back in her seat. She had a hunch that the Future Foundation was at it again, trying to gain access into the academy. But she wasn't going to allow that to happen so soon. Her eyes shifted back to the students currently trapped within the academy, all of them were sleeping peacefully, sharing rooms due to Bryce's sudden mood shift. It was about time for a new motive, but she instead opted to wait it out, seeing as their paranoia was bound to be their downfall.

Her eyes shifted to the syringe Akihiko had left for her, in a glass case. It had been filled with a special formula, one that would restore the memories of a single person, but with added consequences, that person would have trouble discerning which memories were real and which were fake, making them vulnerable to deception.

"Hmm...maybe it's time my new little buddy became useful. I got a little surprise for the Ultimate Archer in store for him and everyone, why...by the end of it, even he won't recognize himself!" she said loudly, her laughter echoing through the quiet room.

 _ **xxx**_

Hiyoko had been making excellent time. Sacrificing a few bullets for the sake of her agenda didn't seem to matter anymore. As long as she was able to head into the Neuroscience lab without any issue, she would take it. Several broken cameras now littered the ground, all useless heaps of junk, and she was sure Junko was growing angry over it. It wouldn't be long until she sent more units after her.

She had at least made it into the back part of the Main Building, getting past the back plaza to the path that lead toward the New School Building. The large iron gates were closed, chained up with a big sign that said, Closed Until further notice, but it was clear to see that the chains had been broken. Just beyond it, was the largest building that had been built on the Hope's Peak Academy campus. The once beautiful building, was now mostly in shambles.

It still stood, but most of the glass windows had been broken, a result of the many attacks that had taken place within the building. It was also where several guards belonging to the academy were brutally murdered. The Neuroscience lab was a smaller building, adjacent to it. It may have not been as big as the main school building, but it was still impressive, boasting it's new devices all toward the study of Neurology itself.

The building itself was under the command of several Scientists, as well as the Ultimate Neurologist, Yasuke Matsuda. The young man belonged to Class 77A and was one of the brightest minds in the world. His studies on the human brain had lead to the discovery of many medicines, all geared toward the aid of memory.

Patients with deceases like Alzheimer's and Dementia could be treated with medicine and regain most of their memory and normal brain function, it would been a blessing on the world.

The young dancer made her way toward the front gates, quickly slashing the chains with her sword. They fell to the ground in a heap, piling around the center of the gates. She sheathed her sword and pushed the gates forward, teeth grit with strain as the gates were heavy. She was able to push them apart enough to make her way in. A sudden bolt of lightning tore across the sky, making her look up. For once she wasn't greeted with blood red skies, instead she was greeted with reddish gray rain clouds.

Soon enough, it started to rain, something that didn't happen much in this new world. Any rain was a welcome godsend and she hoped the people who were still growing crops in this new world could use this rain to the best of their abilities. She swept her wet locks behind her ears, not wanting to hinder her vision. She avoided several craters and broken glass as she headed toward the Neuroscience lab. She briefly wondered if she could find any information within the New School Building.

Maybe she would be able to find more information on the Izuru Kamukura project, now that she had a lead on who it could be. Maybe she would be able to find _his_ second story book, the one that he had started while in the academy. She stopped for a brief second, changing her direction to the New School Building. A quick search wouldn't hurt anyone.

As soon as she wrapped her dainty hand around the door handle, she heard the tell tell sound of someone drawing their sword. She stopped, a hand already on the hilt of her own. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"If you are here to stop me, then I suggest you run off. I don't want to hurt you." She said.

"I've been given orders to clear out the campus. It was the wish of my Mistress, I am but a tool of course."

That smooth voice...one that she recognized. A sisterly voice, that was once filled with happiness. She looked back, her golden eye scanning the woman before.

She had definitely grown, in all the right places. The once short woman was now around five foot eleven, with bigger breasts than before, barely being held back by her button down long sleeved top. She wore a matching gray skirt, with a pair of black leggings underneath, and heeled boots. Her silver hair, once braided, was now left down past her shoulders, reaching almost to her waist. Bangs framed her face, and a single strand fell down the right side of her face, her soft ruby eyes now glowing a bright crimson, a side effect of falling into despair. Her glasses were still the same small black framed she wore in school.

Standing before her was Peko Pekoyama, the ex-Ultimate Swordswoman, and now Ultimate Despair.

In her hands was a katana, almost like the one she had back in school, only this one didn't have a tsuba, and the hilt was wrapped in black leather. The blade was around 43 inches in length, and sharpened enough to slice through human flesh. She had a low but firm stance, ready to strike if needbe. It took Hiyoko all of her will power not to embrace the woman, to bop her hard in the head and call her every name in the book for leaving her behind.

"Peko...I don't want to hurt you." she said, slowly turning around.

"Then please, leave the academy. You may have once been my classmate, but I will not go against my orders. That is what a tool is made to do."

"Stop calling yourself a tool!" Hiyoko snapped, walking down the steps of the new building, her shoes slapping the wet concrete rather hard.

"This is what _she_ wants. You know if you were in your right mind, you would see it too. You are Peko Pekoyama, student of Class 77B of Hope's Peak Academy, the Ultimate Swordswoman. Right now you are being nothing more than a Rotten Orange, is this what you want? What Fuyuhiko wants?" she asked.

"I am just a tool, I only follow orders." she said. Hiyoko grit her teeth. She had heard the phrase so many times she may as well turn it into a record.

"Goddamn it! Don't make me slap some sense into you!" She cried.

"Hiyoko Saionji, why is it that you fight for hope when despair is all you need? Think about it, Hope has brought you nothing but sorrow. It took away your grandmother, your mother...your precious father and dance studio...and most of all, it took away your fiancee." Peko said.

"Stop it!"

"Despair is all you need. We will be there for you Hiyoko...come rejoin us...all of us...Class 77B is there for you. You were once an Ultimate Despair, you still are, rejoin us...you have to come back." Peko continued.

"Shut up! You fucking skank, I will never forgive you for this." she howled, drawing her sword.

Thunder boomed and lightning cracked the sky as the young dancer raced toward the Swordswoman, who held a neutral look on her face. Hiyoko went in for a low strike, only for it to be parried with grace and speed. Peko easily pushed her back.

"This is a battle that you will not win. Stand down and rejoin Despair." she said.

"I may not be a swordswoman like you, but I can still fight, so long as his hope flows through me, I will defeat despair." she said with a grin. Peko's face turned to one of anger and anguish as she dashed forward, throwing several quick strikes, all parried by Hiyoko, who was easily keeping her ground.

The shorter girl pushed her back, throwing a high sword slash, almost hitting Peko's face. The gray haired woman dropped to the ground, quickly doing a handspring into a low crouch. She sprung forward, aiming for Hiyoko's throat, only for a kunai to strike her blade, sending it off course, enough for Hiyoko to parry it. Both woman backed away, staring at each other.

"I thought you were gonna head through the dorms?" Hiyoko said, not looking back.

"I was...but I realized that it was filled with Reserve Course students, people who don't deserve to die."

The young Kunoichi walked past Hiyoko, drawing her ninjato from behind her back, holding them firmly in her hands. She paused, tossing her a canister, which she held awkwardly in her hand.

"Junko is getting ready to unleash her next motive, a memory returning drug, but I don't know who her target is. Get into that building and find those notes, kill Mukuro and Akihiko if you must. I'll distract Peko, that Flash grenade should help if your in a pinch."

"Rumi, this isn't your battle. Peko is my friend, my classmate...I promised myself I would help her and the rest of my friends given the chance." the blonde said.

"You have little training with that sword. You don't have what it takes to wield it properly. Finish your mission here, and I'll see to it that you are trained enough to handle her the next time you run into her." Rumi said.

"But..."

"Go Hiyoko...there isn't much time!" she snapped. Rumi raced forward, just as Peko made her move.

The two women clashed pushing each other back before running back in, the sound of clashing swords filling the courtyard. Thunder boomed again, as Hiyoko was forced to retreat. She knew the Kunoichi could handle herself, it was the fact that she wasn't able to help Peko that was eating at her heart.

She quickly made her way into the Neuroscience building, locking the doors behind her, just in case Peko came after her. There was a long hallway in front of her, and she had no choice but to walk down it. She held her sword tightly in her hands, scanning the area for signs of life.

What she was greeted with was a lobby, that was messy beyond belief. Papers lay all over the ground, a large flat screen was on the ground, broken in half, and the remains of a fish tank littered the floor. There was a set of double doors across from her, as well as an elevator. She walked over to the doors, reading the sign.

"Neuroscience Lab, 3rd floor, this place better be empty." she muttered, pressing the elevator button.

It came down a few seconds later, and she got inside it, pressing the glowing 3. She pressed herself against the wall, sheathing her sword and grabbing her gun. She took the silencer off, finding it useless at the moment. She pulled out the magazine she had been using, seeing that it only had three rounds left. She replaced with a fresh one, just to have enough bullets on her. The elevator dinged and the doors slowly slid open, she quickly ducked down, avoiding the trail of gunfire that greeted her, followed by sadistic laughter. She crawled across the floor, hiding behind the large desk once belonging to the secretary.

"So, the little bitch fucking up Mistress Junko's cameras was none other than the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. What's wrong? Didn't get enough of seeing your fiancee get his brains splattered all over the ground?"

This was the voice of Akihiko Shouji, the Ultimate Surgeon. His long brown hair was mattered and slicked with sweat, and his doctors coat was smeared with pink blood.

She wanted to lash out at him, but that would give away her position. His heavy steps echoed through the quiet room, shell casings rolling around the tile floor. She peeked around the corner of the desk, seeing him walking her way. She grit her teeth and moved to the other side, just as he walked around it.

"You can't hide from me Saionji. I'll find that little ass of yours soon enough, and then I'll slice ya up. Maybe I can find something interesting if I dissect you." he said with a boisterous laugh.

She swallowed hard, and moved across the room, hiding behind the couch. Akihiko walked around the desk, in time to see a strand of her hair. He rose his Mack 10, opening fire on the couch. Luckily, Hiyoko had safely made it to a nearby closet. The sounds of gunfire echoed through the room for a few more seconds until the gun clicked empty. Akihiko groaned, rolling his eyes before ejecting the spent magazine.

"Mistress Junko should really get me a railgun...it's not fun having to reload these." he said with a pout, replacing the magazine. He started walking toward the other side of the room, heading toward the closet Hiyoko was hiding in.

"You must be stupid if you think I didn't see dive in here." he said.

The blonde grit her teeth as she pressed herself against the door.

There was nothing she could do now. That door was made of wood, and he had a machine gun, which would easily tear through it. She reached down to the flash grenade attached to her belt. She grabbed it, pulling the pin from it. She quickly opened the door, surprising the Ultimate Surgeon who had been about to open the door. She grinned, tossing him the canister.

"Think fast!" she said, before racing up the hallway.

He yelped loudly, dropping the canister and hopping away from it. It exploded, a bright flash and a sharp piercing sound coming from it. He screamed in agony, blocking his ears with his hands.

Hiyoko slammed the doors of the science lab shut, blocking it with a desk, knowing that wouldn't stop the Surgeon from coming through them. She looked around, seeing all of the fancy equipment within the lab. There wasn't anything special, just a lot of heavy microscopes and several tools she didn't even know the names of. The thing that did catch her attention was the young woman sitting on a medical bed, looking blankly at the wall.

She had long dark red hair, and bright blue eyes. She had a soft complexion, a few freckles dotting the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. She was wearing a hospital gown, barely staying on her slim body. She had big breasts, almost poking out of the gown. She was barefoot, the gown barely covering her lower body, though she did see her underwear from where she stood. The woman's eyes finally met her own, a curious smile on her face.

"Have you come to visit me? Wonderful...I don't have any friends...at least I don't remember if I do." she said. Hiyoko gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Mukuro Ikusaba...what the hell did that man do to you?" she asked.

"Hmm? Mukuro...is that your name? It's really pretty...my friend Akihiko said my name was Ryouko Otonashi, and told me I was the Ultimate Analyst..whatever that is." she said.

"Oh my god...that bitch had this done to you...her own fucking sister...this is sick." Hiyoko said, shivers going up her spine. She walked over to the red haired girl, grabbing her hand firmly. She pulled her to her feet, pushing her in front of her.

"At least I can still use you." she said.

"Huh? Are we going for a walk? Great! Just let me get my notebook."

"You two aren't going anywhere."

Hiyoko stiffened up, seeing Akihiko make his way into the lab easily pushing the desk aside. He took aim at Hiyoko only for the blonde dancer to press her gun to Mukuro's temple, pulling the safety off.

"You move, and I'll blow her brains out!"

"Heh, no you won't. You don't have the balls to kill anyone." Akihiko said, making his way toward her.

Hiyoko aimed her gun upward, letting off a warning shot, making Mukuro yelp from the closeness of the gun to her ear. She pressed the gun against her head once more, a stern look on her face.

"I'm serious Akihiko, move and I'll fucking do it." she said.

" _Oh really?"_

Her breath hitched, that voice...that damn voice! It echoed through her mind, and she almost vomit. She regained her composer as to not lose any of the ground she had gained.

" _Dear Hiyoko, please...we both know you aren't going to do it. If not you would have already done it. After all, this is the woman that had a hand in fucking up your friends."_

"Junko...show yourself you bitch!"

As if on cue, the large screen television in the room turned on, static filtering on it before her image appeared. She hadn't changed a bit, still looking just as she had remembered her. She still had that shit eating grin on her face.

" _Here I am. Missed me?"_

"What is your angle? Why did you do this to your sister?" Hiyoko asked.

" _I wanted to see despair. You should know this already sweetie...now, are you the one that's messing with my cameras? That's a big no no, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your friends would you?"_

"You are already torturing them enough, what more could you do to them?" She asked.

" _Oh no my dear! Not the ones in here with me, I'm talking about your classmates. They all listen to me now after all, but of course you know that. If you keep messing with me, I'll have them all commit suicide, and you know they all will."_ she said firmly.

"See Hiyoko, no matter what you do...you will never be able to escape despair." Akihiko said.

It took her a second to realize Junko had spoken in unison with the Surgeon. Mukuro seemed to be frightened now, unable to comprehend what was going on. The blonde girl shifted her aim at the Ultimate Surgeon, pulling the trigger. His head snapped back, pink blood spattering all over the air and ground. His body fell to the ground in a heap. Junko's lips pressed into a thin line.

" _What did you do that for?"_

"To send you a message bitch. You aren't going to tell my friends to commit suicide. You need them just as much as they need you, it's how you work after all. Now set my friends free, let them leave the academy!" she screamed.

" _No can do sweetheart. You see, my classmates are being put on trial, for the hope of the world. All of them think they're so full of hope...but now they get a nice healthy dose of despair. If you want them to make it out alive, then you'll have to wait and see who wins the Killing Game."_

"Junko...what do you get out of this?"

The beautiful girl tilted her head, looking at her curiously. She gave her a cute smile, her eyes glittering brightly.

" _I want nothing more than despair...delicious despair. I'm getting a constant dose of it, thanks to all my little friends...well...four of them aren't part of my class, but you live and you learn. Headmaster Kirigiri brought this onto himself. Now be a dear and let my little toy go...she has nothing to do with this."_

"You fucking insane bitch, you won't get away with this!" Hiyoko said.

" _Yeah yeah, I've heard all of that before. Yuno won't shut up about it, it's so cute seeing him full of despair."_

Hiyoko looked at her weird. That was something that was still confusing her about this thing. The Ultimate Archer Yunosuke Nagahama had been killed before The Tragedy. Everyone knew about it, and yet he was in this Killing Game. The only thing she could think off was that he hadn't been killed at all and had been put in this killing game just for Junko's enjoyment. Tsubaki knew more about him than anyone, as he was in her class, but she didn't have any information on him. She shook her head, aiming her gun at the television.

"You are just screwing with me, you'll get yours soon."

And with that, a single shot took care of the television, shutting up Junko for the time being. She holstered her gun and spun Mukuro around, looking at her in the eye.

"You are not Ryouko Otonashi, you are Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, you were never part of the Ultimate Despair, your mission is to take care of Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair. Kill her." Hiyoko said. The girl grinned, wrapping her arms around her.

"Aw, you are such a cutie...my name is Ryouko Otonashi, not Mukuro Ikusaba. It's written in my journal after all...why did you kill my friend though, he didn't do anything wrong."

The blonde shook her head, letting the red haired girl go. She walked over to the fallen Surgeon, and grabbed his gun, along with his ammunition, shoving it in her pockets. She slung the machine gun across her shoulder, making sure a fresh magazine was inside. She looked back to the now Ex-Ultimate Soldier.

"Good Luck, Mukuro. For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry your sister did this to you...if she's serious, then I can't risk having her issue a suicide order to my friends. Take care." she said, leaving the room.

She wondered through the other rooms of the lab, finding Yasuke's room. It was a mess, with several files and papers strewn all over the place. She walked over to his desk, scanning the papers on top of his desk. She looked, and looked but didn't find anything on the notes he had written. The top file had the names of all of the deceased Student Council members, along with the dead Trustees. Why those were there was beyond her, but it was information she didn't necessarily need. She shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I'm never going to find anything in here. It's all a mess." she muttered, slamming her hands on the desk.

A picture tipped over, the frame breaking when it hit the ground. She looked at it for a second before grabbing it. She looked at it, grimacing a bit.

It was a picture of Junko, smiling happily, her arm wrapped around the neck of a black haired young man, who had an annoyed look on his face. It was Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist. She took the glass out of the frame, pulling it apart. She took the picture out, and a small memory card fell onto the desk. She looked at it awkwardly, before turning the picture over.

" _Junko is becoming a bit unstable. She keeps asking about this memory device and how it's going. She keeps wanting to try it out on herself, but I don't know how to feel about it." 2/16/14_

" _I can't believe she made me do it. She's a mindless idiot now, but her analytic abilities are beyond the extraordinary. The Headmaster wants me to treat her like an actually student, even though she isn't...I best follow his advice...I still can't believe all of those people died...and they just brushed it under the rug...assholes." 2/17/14_

" _Junko's memory is becoming more and more unstable, I think her original persona is finally returning. I can't have my work fall into her hands. I love her with all my heart, and I know she loves me, but her twisted outlook of hope and despair is something I will never understand. She most likely won't notice this memory card, whoever finds it, make sure this information doesn't fall into the wrong hands." 2/18/14_

"All of these notes are before the Tragedy...Yasuke didn't die until just before the Reserve Course students committed suicide...these must be his notes...or a copy of them at least. Good, this will be useful to me in the future." she said, pulling out her phone.

She placed the memory card in it, and shoved it in her pocket. Once done, she grabbed her gun and headed toward the stairs, the elevator now being useless. Once outside, she noticed neither Rumi or Peko are around, but the signs of battle were. Long scratches littered the ground, and several broken kunai's littered the ground, along with broken glass and Sakura petals. She ignored this as she ran, trying to hurry as much as she could.

"Hiyoko, stop where you are."

The blonde spared a look back, seeing Peko standing in the center of the courtyard, blood smeared on her gray shirt. Rumi was nowhere to be seen, and she hoped the Kunoichi didn't fall victim to her. She quickened her pace, running past the iron gates and out of the New School's courtyard. She didn't have the time to deal with the Ex-Ultimate Swordswoman, especially not after having a brush with death.

"Hiyoko, there you are. Jesus Christ what is wrong with you?"

She stopped her dead sprint, coming face to face with one of her friends.

Tsubaki Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfiction Shipper. She hadn't changed much from the time they had met in school, still wearing the same black version of the Hope's Peak Academy uniform. Her long twintails were soaking wet from the rain, and her glasses were dotted with rain drops. She was carrying a bat in her hands, a pistol attached to her waist.

"I told you to wait for me dumbass. Rumi just sent me the message that you were here, she had to leave, Peko almost killed her."

"She's gonna kill us if we don't go." the blonde said.

"Fine, I got us a ride." she said, pointing to a black chopper, which was sitting a few meters away, the name Togami was written on it, in bold golden letters. The two girls raced toward it, the doors flying open as they climbed in.

Sitting in the center, was a beautiful young woman, with a light pale complexion. She had long straight white hair, flowing straight down to her lower back, and soft ruby eyes. Her small figure was accented nicely by the blue blouse and matching black tie she was wearing. She had a navy blue blazer over it, along with a matching formal black skirt, purple panty hose and heeled boots. Next to her were two men, dressed in black suits and dark sunglasses, each having their hands on their guns. Hiyoko strapped herself into the seat, just as the woman looked up from her tablet.

"Good to see you again Hiyoko. It's been a while." she greet with a smile.

"Thanks Musashi, can you get us out of here? Peko is still down there." she said.

"Of course, time to go men."

"Yes Ma'am." the pilot said, quickly getting them airborne.

They flew over the New School Courtyard, all of them watching as Peko stood, glaring at the chopper as it made it's way out of Hope's Peak Academy.

"I had to pull a lot of strings to get us a ride. You know the Future Foundation hates it when their major benefactor has to leave." Tsubaki said.

"I thought you left the Foundation? Why would you care?" Hiyoko asked.

"I haven't fully left them yet. I just needed to make contact with you, to see how you were doing, after all you were branded a traitor as soon as you left." she said.

"Even better. I don't want to be associated with them anyway." she said, crossing her arms and leaning back into her seat.

"Well, don't breathe a sigh of relief yet. The reason I agreed to help Tsubaki is because you've been summoned to Headquarters." Musashi said.

"What?"

"That's right...Kyosuke Munakata wanted to speak with you personally, probably about reinstating your position within the foundation. They said they needed to speak with you personally." Tsubaki said firmly. Hiyoko hissed under her breath, looking out the window of the chopper. The rain had lessened a bit, and some of the crimson sky was peaking through the darkened clouds.

"Fine, I'll, go see what he wants. But after that, I am out of there." she said.

It took them around two hours to fly out to the Future Foundation Headquarters, which was actually going to be a branch of Hope's Peak Academy for exchange students. She had been in the building before, but it was still ominous being there. They landed on a helipad near the entrance, the doors to the chopper opening once they had landed. Tsubaki was the first one out, with Hiyoko being the second.

The first person that greeted her was Kazuo Tengan, the previous Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, along with her old teacher, Chisa Yukizome. Her once cheerful face, had now been replaced with one of concern. Almost two years of having to watch her students tear the world apart must have taken her toll on her. Wordlessly, she pulled the blonde into a hug, tears threatening to spill.

"Hiyoko...I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too Miss Yukizome." the blonde replied. She kept the act going, but knew fully well she was still part of the Ultimate Despair. She was their teacher after all.

"None of that, I told you to call me Chisa now. Look at you, you've grown quite a bit...but your all dirty...you need a bath." she said.

"I took one earlier Chisa, please." the girl said.

"Nope, you'll be going into a meeting with all of the Foundation Branch Leaders, so you'll need to be clean. I'll wash your back." the woman said, pulling the young woman with her. Tsubaki chuckled, crossing her arms.

"She hasn't changed a bit since I last saw her." she said.

"No she hasn't, how is everything Miss Yamada?" Kazuo asked, placing his hands behind his back.

"Growing worse by the second Gramps. The Members of Despair are having a massive movement, and I heard rumors of Ibuki throwing a concert to spread the love of riots. The war in Novoselic just took another bad turn, and Ashton is loosing his forces...do you think Hiyoko will be able to handle this?" She asked.

"Personally, I think she's strong enough to handle it. However, I don't agree with what Munakata is about to do." Kazuo said.

"Then why don't you stop him? You are the director after all?" Tsubaki said.

"I am the director, yes...but remember it was Munakata who built this facility. Even if I direct it, I have no say in the matter." the man said.

"You Future Foundation members really need to get your shit together, before we all go extinct." Tsubaki said, brushing past the old man toward the building. Kazuo sighed, looking at Musashi who was still scrolling through her tablet.

"Miss Togami, how is the killing game going?" he asked.

"Not good, Junko is about to issue the latest motive. After watching Celestia Ludenburg almost die, and having to watch Hisashi deal with it all...I'm starting to lose hope for them. I know my brother is strong, and he's made it this far but...the temptation is going to get to him after awhile." she said.

"Don't lose hope yet young miss. Byakuya is a strong lad, he will make it through this...I'm just curious about Hisashi's state of mind during all of this."

"Yeah...he's acting weird. Really weird, but there isn't anything we can do about it." Musashi said sadly.

"I'll walk you to the meeting room." the old man said, earning a nod from the young woman.

"It's too hot Miss Yukizome, turn it down a bit!" Hiyoko cried loudly.

"I told you to call me Chisa." the housekeeper cried, turning the water down, causing the blonde to scream.

It wasn't long before her forced bath was over and done with, and she had been redressed in a Future Foundation uniform. It consisted of a white undershirt, which was tucked into a short navy blue shirt. She wore a blazer over it, with a pin on the lapel, which was in the shape for the word Mirai, which meant future, only her pin was Silver and not in Gold as most of the others were.

She was wearing a pair of heeled boots, with a pair of short ankle socks. She had wanted to wear her kimono, but Chisa had talked her out of it, since her kimono was worn and frayed at the end. Her long blonde hair was carefully brushed and placed in it's usual ponytail. Chisa smiled, brushing her hands off.

"You look beautiful, as always." she said.

"Thanks Chisa...I don't feel beautiful though." she replied.

"Why is that?"

"Because...I've had a shit day, I saw two people die, and I killed one of the Ultimate Despairs, right before Musashi and Tsubaki got me. I talked to Junko." she said.

"What? What did she say? Tell me!"

Hiyoko took a deep breath, explaining everything that had happened to her old teacher. Chisa's expression didn't change much, but she was filled with a bit of relief when she heard about Peko. She was also worried about Rumi, as she hadn't seen the girl in a while either and was surprised to know that she was still alive.

"You've been through a lot in the last few months, but it will all be over soon. Lets go to the conference room and get this meeting done." she said, leading the girl out of the bath house.

They walked through some dimly light hallways, the large windows allowing them to see the outside world. This branch of Hope's Peak was near the ocean, and would have been the first international branch of the academy, that would still bear this name. However, due to _The_ _Tragedy,_ Munakata quickly converted it, making it the Future Foundation's base of operations, or one of them at least.

Finally, they reached a large conference room. Chisa gave three firm knocks before stepping inside. The room had a large table in the center of it, with several large chairs for the members of the foundation. A large screen made up the back wall, and had the background of the Foundation Crest, a bolt of lightning, with the word Mirai behind it. All of the people looked up at the door, some with glares and others with indifferent looks on their faces.

The head of the foundation, Kyosuke Munakata, turned around to face the newcomers. He was a tall man, six feet even, with short blond hair in a sort of bowl cut. He was wearing a firmly pressed white suit, with a fancy looking black tie. He had a sword attached to his belt. He didn't have a single expression on his face.

"Thank you for bringing her Chisa, you may take a seat." he said.

Chisa gave him a bow, and walked over to the empty fifth chair, taking a seat in it. Munakata gestured for Hiyoko to come further into the room, pointing to the empty chair at her end of the table.

She didn't like this man, no matter how many times she had spoken with him, no matter how many good things Chisa said of him. He hated despair, so much that he had almost killed her and Daisuke over it. He had vowed to kill her friends, something she would never forget. He cleared his throat, walking over to his side of the table.

"Welcome back Miss Saionji. I take it everything was satisfactory yes?" he asked calmly.

"What do you want from me? I made it clear that I didn't want anything to do with you fucks. None of you are doing shit to help anyone, and I can't be associated with people like that." she snapped.

She let out a yelp, seeing a black kunai embedded itself in front of her. She looked over at the Ex-Ultimate Blacksmith, who had a pissed off look on his face. The Ex-Ultimate Confectioner rubbed his shoulder, offering him one of her pink Macaroons.

"Next time, I'll make sure to kill you _Ultimate_ _Despair._ " he snapped, accepting the macaroon his friend has given him.

"Miss Saionji, you and I may not see eye to eye, but I assure you we are helping people. Just this morning we got confirmation from Tatsumi Kiba that a delivery to a colony of survivors made it there safely. He will be returning to the Frontlines soon enough. We have all asked you to come here because we have a mission that only you can handle." he said. Hiyoko rose a dainty brow, looking at Chisa who just gave her a shrug. She crossed her legs, placing her folded hands on her lap.

"I'm listening."

"You are familiar with this young man correct?" Munakata said, pointing to the screen.

A picture of a pink haired teenager appeared on screen. He had a wide sharp toothy grin on his face, his eyes glowing a bright crimson in color. He was in a yellow jumpsuit, which was covered in oil stains. There was a wrench sticking out of his pocket, along with a dirtied white rag.

"Of course I'm familiar with him, that's Kazuichi." She said angrily. The man nodded, lowering his gaze to the ground.

"Good...as you are aware, Kazuichi Souda was the one who renovated Hope's Peak Academy without the previous Headmaster knowing that he had already fallen to despair. He was also the one that crafted all of the Execution machines that Junko Enoshima is using to execute Class 78, and the members belonging to Class 79. He is also the one who designed that door that is firmly shut. We require his...knowledge on how exactly he built it, so we have a need to capture him, alive of course."

"Tch...like he's going to tell you what you want. He's an Ultimate Despair now, there is no way he'll talk." Hiyoko said.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong. We can give him motivation, fight despair with despair and you'll get hope. At least that's my theory...your mission is simple, in order to draw Kazuichi Souda out of hiding, we need you to Assassinate Takane Nishijima, the ex-Ultimate Astronomer." he said.

Hiyoko's jaw dropped. She couldn't even gasp, let alone speak. Her mind had stopped for a second. The gravity of what she had heard...she was pissed. She stood up, slamming her fists on the table.

"You want me to what?"

"You heard me. We want you to kill Takane Nishijima. He's still in love with her, meaning he will be vulnerable to capture when he sees her brutal murder. Tragic, sure...but it's something that must be done."

"Screw you! You just want me to do that because you want to kill the Ultimate Despairs. We'll I'm not having it, I will not kill my friend...Chisa are you hearing this?" Hiyoko asked, looking at her old teacher. The woman didn't look at her, most likely dealing with it herself.

"Hold your tongue. You can't speak to Munakata like that." Bandai, the Ex-Ultimate Farmer cried out, in his feminine like voice.

"Oh shut up. Sure, to all of you it's a simple mission, to me it isn't. That is my friend, sure he's sick and twisted, but I truly believe that he has hope. He wasn't like that before, and if I talk to him, I'm sure he'll be back on our side."

"He's an Ultimate Despair, follower of Junko Enoshima, enemy of Humanity." Munakata said.

"An enemy of humanity? You want me to kill my friend, all so we can get another person out into the open when their the most vulnerable, and you are calling him an enemy of humanity." he said.

"Well...if the shoe fits." Juzo, the Ex-Ultimate Boxer said, leaning up in his seat.

"What was that?" Hiyoko snapped, looking at the dark skinned man, her eyes burning furiously. He smirked, licking his lips.

"If...the shoe...fits." he said slowly.

"Alright, stop this. Hiyoko has a point, we can't send her out there to kill her friends...that's too cruel." Chisa said. Munakata sighed.

"She's an Ultimate Despair, why should it matter?" Bandai asked, earning a girl from the girl.

"It matters because it's wrong to force her into it. Even if they are Ultimate Despair, they're still friends!"

"I knew you would side with her, not only because she is your student, but because you love Class 77B dearly. Which is why I also came up with a fail safe." Munakata said, pressing a button on his remote. Kazuichi's picture was replaced with a live video feed, of a hospital room.

There was a steady beeping coming from the room, where several doctors were moving around. In the center of the room, was a pod like device, where a person could be seen resting. Munakata pressed the button again, making the camera close in on the person inside. Hiyoko's eyes widened when she saw who it was, a gasp escaping her lips. Tears streamed down her face, as she was unable to stop their flow. Munakata turned to her, a smirk on his face.

Inside was a young man, with spiky black hair, and a soft sun kissed complexion. He had a tube hook up to his mouth, most likely a ventilator to help him breath. The inside of the pod was clear, exposing the rest of his toned body, a very familiar rose tattoo could be seen on his forearm, as several tubes were hooked into his arm. His head was wrapped in bandages, a little dot of blood barely visible. Everyone watching this now was shocked, especially Chisa who couldn't believe her eyes.

"What the hell is this?" Ruruka cried, the Ex-Ultimate Confectioner was angry at seeing a former friend being kept in some pod some where. Seiko Kimura, the Ex-Ultimate Pharmacist could only watch wide eyed, much like everyone else in the room.

"This is Daisuke Del Rio, Ultimate Story Teller, and student of Class 77B. Several weeks ago, he and Hiyoko were chased by Despairites, through the city of Tokyo and eventually back to Hope's Peak Academy. The two were surrounded, and in a valiant effort, Daisuke sacrificed himself to allow Hiyoko to live. Junko Enoshima shot him in the head. However, she didn't realize was that Daisuke suffered an accident when he was younger, and was retrofitted with a metal plate.

The same metal plate that stopped the bullet and saved his life. We've been keeping him in his medically induced coma, so his brain can heal, and he has been healing wonderfully, thanks to Seiko's medicine of course. Now then Miss Saionji, I can give the order to wake him up at any time, but you must first do us a favor. Kill Takane Nishijima, and you get your fiancee back safe and sound...do we have a deal?" the man asked, holding his hand out to the young blonde, who hadn't even noticed him approach her.

If Junko was with them, she would surely be laughing. The best kind of Despair was the kind that was wrapped up and presented as Hope, as she was clearly being presented right now. She felt like throwing up, she wanted to scream like a five year old who wants a new toy, but couldn't have it. He was alive, her love was alive after all this time, but he was being held hostage by the Foundation that promised to bring hope, and for that, she would never forgive them.


	18. Remnants of Hope

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest chapter of The End of Hope's Peak Academy: Hiyoko Saionji Mirai-Hen**

 **If you read my last update, then you should all know that I have split my stories up so I could work on them separately. They will both get updates every so often, but it makes it easier on my side, instead of having to focus on a single chapter, I can write multiple chapters at the same time and not have to worry about the order it will go in. It was probably to much to handle, but you can only learn from your mistakes.**

 **This chapter will be a little shorter than normal, so my apologies for that. This time, we will see Hiyoko and hear her feelings about the bombshell news that she received in the last Mirai-Hen chapter. We will also see the other organization trying to bring hope back to the world, the fabled Remnants of Hope. You will later learned why they are so fabled, but for now you'll get a little intro on who they are and where their organization is. I hope you all enjoy it, and have a wonderful Sunday...well Monday now...and please look forward to the next update for the Mirai-Hen story.**

 **Update: 8/31/16**

 **I have gone back and redited this chapter as well as add several new things to it. I hope you enjoy it...as this will serve as the prologue to the first Act of Chapter 4. If you have noticed, then this is going to mark the beginning of the end of the students trapped within Hope's Peak Academy. Hope you enjoy his edit.**

 **Update: 6/28/17: This chapter has been edited and re uploaded. This contains various grammatical and continuity fixes, as well as some added diologue and scene changes. I hope you all like it...**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Hiyoko Side

Act 3

Remnants of Hope

To say that Hiyoko was livid would be a supreme understanding. She was absolutely furious. No one had ever seen the blonde dancer shout as many swears as she did, half of them being in Spanish, and the other half being in Japanese. She had the right too, how would you react if you found out one of the loves of your life was still alive but was being held hostage until you killed one of your friends?

It wasn't pretty, that's for sure. If Hiyoko had her new Mack 10 in her hands at the time, she was sure Munakata would have been riddled with bullets. She stood in the hallway, angrily staring out of the large window next to an empty classroom. The glass was clear, and she was able to see the dark red waves from the nearby ocean. The tint of the crimson sky reflected off it, giving it that sickly red color she had grown used to seeing. She heard footsteps behind her, and didn't even bother turning, already knowing who it was. She placed a hand on the glass, so hard she thought that it would break. She looked down at the ground, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Did you know about this?"

"I..."

"Answer me, did you or did you not know about this Chisa." she snapped, glaring at her old teacher.

She noticed Ruruka and Sunosuke were standing beside her. Personally, she had never gotten along with the Ex-Ultimate Blacksmith, but he had at least gifted her the sword that was currently attached to her waist.

"I didn't know about this. Kyosuke was keeping this hidden from everyone, including me. No...I suspect Juzo knew about it." She said.

"What kind of organization do you have here? Are you truly or Hope's side? Because the Hope that you guys are fighting for is masked in the stench of Despair." She snapped.

Her head jerked left instinctively dodging the kunai Sunosuke had thrown at her. It stabbed into the glass window, cracking it all the way to the edges of the frame. Ruruka glared at her childhood friend, a pout on her lips.

"I wouldn't keep talking about hope and despair if I we're you. You haven't the right to give your opinion, _Ultimate_ _Despair!"_

"Sunosuke, stop throwing knives at her. She's our friend not our enemy."

"My apologies, It's out of instinct. Juzo insults us on a daily basis so..." he stopped, the blush on his cheeks barely visible. Ruruka rolled her eyes and dug her hand into her bag, pulling out a yellow macaroon, holding it just above his lips.

"Say ah!"

"Not this time Ruruka. Maybe later." he said, politely turning her down. She looked a bit sad, placing the sweet back into her purse.

"This is not the time to be messing around. What are we going to do? Are we just gonna stand here and let Munakata do as he wants?" Hiyoko asked.

"Even if we wanted to do something about it, he has supreme control. Daisuke is being watched by the Second Branch, which as you know is directed by Kyosuke." Chisa said sadly.

"Can't the director do something about it? Goddamn it he's here to direct right?" Hiyoko asked.

"Sorry, Director Tengan may hold that title, but we all know the one who runs the show is Munakata. I still have trouble believing this organization is doing what he says it's meant to do." Ruruka said dejectedly. Hiyoko grit her teeth, looking away from the three, a pissed off look on her face.

"I can't fucking believe this. What is my life? It used to be all fun and games and then I got fucked. Hell, Junko is still fucking me to this day, it's a fucking _orgy._ " she shouted.

"Now lets not all start talking like that, swearing won't help us in this situation. I'll talk to Kyosuke...maybe he'll find it in his heart to let Daisuke go. He did say he could give the order at any time right?" Chisa said.

"Yeah, keep your hopes up Hiyoko. Our favorite Story Teller will be out and about soon enough!" Ruruka cried joyfully. Hiyoko turned away, heading toward the elevator.

"Yeah, whatever."

Ruruka turned to Sunosuke, who gave her a small nod. The Ex-Ultimate Confectioner decided it would be best to console her friend. Her heels clacked loudly as she raced toward the elevator, stepping inside before the doors closed. Hiyoko huffed looking at the wall.

"Listen, it's been forever since we've talked and I can tell you need to talk to someone." She said.

"Right, and what am I going to say that you don't already know? I spent the last six months running around Tokyo trying to figure out a way to stop the _Ultimate_ _Despair_ from spreading further, and I finally came up with the solution, only for the love of my life to die. Then months later, I not only have to watch the hope of the world play a killing game, but I find out that my fiancee is very much alive and being held captive until I kill a close friend. What is there to talk about?" she asked forcefully. Ruruka sighed, a far off look in her eye.

The doors slid open, and both women stepped out of it, heading toward the escalators that would lead down to the lobby. There were a few secretaries standing around, watching their television screens intently, most likely watching that goddamn killing game. Once outside, Hiyoko let out a sigh inhaling the crisp sea air. The breeze ruffled her clothes a bit, and it reminded her of the last time she actually went to the beach. Two and a half years ago, before the world went to shit. It was the last mayor trip she took with her class.

"It's not easy you know." Ruruka began, getting her attention.

The woman brushed a few of her light pink locks behind her head. That was when Hiyoko noticed she wasn't wearing her feathery collared jacket, and that her hair was actually down to her mid back.

"I can understand, why people fell to despair. It's not hard to just...give into it. At first it was scary, seeing so many people die...my previous classmates we're all killed by Izuru Kamukura, and that video was broadcast to the Reserve Course. It was horrible...the downfall of Hope's Peak Academy was a tragic event in the making. She planned this... _all of this_. Now, Nick has to go through it, without even remembering who I am." she said, tears starting to fall down her face. Hiyoko frowned a bit, but decided she would actually listen to her friend.

She took her hand, leading her to one of the empty helipads that was over the ocean. The two of them sat down, dangling their legs over the edge. Ruruka held her hand out, showing her a beautiful diamond ring.

"He proposed to me before the Academy was shut down. He spent months trying to convince Headmaster Kirigiri to allow me back into the academy. When I was given a second chance, he surprised me with this ring. I didn't tell anyone of course, since we wanted to hold a surprise party. Besides, it would look weird. A Senior and a Freshman dating and getting married?

Hell, I was nearly 20 as it was. But he was so endearing, bringing me breakfast every morning before school, even though he had to walk half a mile to get to the academy and was always late."

"I didn't know Nick was like that. He was just a big goof...always goofing around with Daisuke, Kazuichi and Hisashi, though he was the more serious of the three." Hiyoko said.

"Hisashi was always like that...after everything that happened to him and his little sister, of course he would have to step up to the plate. Of course his mother was murdered on campus, leaving him without a real parental figure. Kyoko wasn't a good older sister to him." Ruruka said.

"She was only his half sister, at least that's what she always said when she said something. They weren't raised together, and he learned his trade by watching cop shows, where she was taught by her Detective Grandfather. Those two always had issues when they were together. At least they get along now, given the circumstances." Hiyoko said.

"It's a shame really. I stopped watching the Killing Game, I'm scared that the next victim will be Nick. Junko is a cunning little minx, she's out duped them all this far, and is clearly enjoying herself. She has shit on everyone."

"Which worries me the most. I don't want them all to live there forever, but if they figure out the mystery behind Hope's Peak Academy, I'm sure Junko will set them free. It's obvious that's her end game." the blonde added. Ruruka pulled out a bag of gummies from her purse, handing them to the blonde, a small smile on her face.

"I made these last week. I was hoping someone would deliver them to you, seeing as I wasn't expecting you back here." she said. Hiyoko gratefully accepted them, already tearing the bag open.

"Thanks Ruruka. You always knew how to make me feel better." she said.

"So...what are you gonna do now? I know for a fact Munakata isn't going to let Daisuke go. Not until he gets what he wants." the confectioner said.

"If that's the case, then I'll give him what he wants. There is something I know that everyone here doesn't, a little secret that I've been keeping to myself." she said.

"Hmm? Seriously?" Ruruka asked, earning a nod from the blonde. She popped some blue gummies into her mouth, almost squealing at the taste. When she swallowed them, she looked out into the ocean, a smirk on her face.

"There is someone else that survived the tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, an ex-member of _Ultimate_ _Despair_ that is going to be furious when they find this bullshit out. Let's just say...things aren't always the way they seem." She said, the grin on her face growing wider.

Ruruka was at a loss for words, unable to figure out what she meant. Hiyoko shook her head, staring out at the ocean, she slipped a few gummies into her mouth before standing up, her cellphone in her hands.

"I am about to do something very stupid Ruruka, and you best not stand in my way. We are friends, but if I have to, I will kill you." Hiyoko said firmly. Ruruka looked at her wide eyed for a few seconds, a smile on her face.

"Bring him home for me Hiyoko. Get him out of that academy." She said.

"I promise you with my life, I will do everything I can to enter Hope's Peak Academy. I left too many demons there that I have to get rid of, starting with the biggest one of them all." she said.

Without a second thought, she jumped off the helipad, falling down toward the ocean waves. Ruruka stood up, looking around for any signs of the blonde, only for a black Fighter jet to zoom past the building.

 _ **xxx**_

Meanwhile, in the center of Tokyo in a large corporate building, a young woman was making her way toward the top floor. The building was tall, the largest in all of Tokyo and had a great view of the inner city. Her eyes trailed over to the distant Hope's Peak Academy, the academy that had seen her grow into the woman she is now. The tragedy had been horrible, and she had been one of the lucky few to make it out alive, such a shame that she wouldn't talk her friends out of not joining despair.

The building, though ransacked by Despairites, was still functional, though everything from the 20th floor down was sealed off and inaccessible. With only a single service elevator still functioning. The large sign at the top of the building was glowing brightly.

" _Togami Enterprises"_

It was a building that had once belonged to the massive Togami Conglomerate, a building which everyone deemed unusable, which was now the headquarters of what Hiyoko had called the Remnants of Hope. It wasn't a mere joke, nor was it a name that had no meaning.

They were 100% real, and formed out of everyone that had survived the fall of the world order. Class 79 being the most prominent, with only five of their members being lost due to despair and the sixth being a part of the killing game. At the top of the chain sat her, the leader of the Remnants of Hope, using her knowledge on the world and her natural born skills as a leader to wrangle up the remaining humans who hadn't been turned into mindless killing machines.

She was a woman of eighteen, with beautiful long hair was tied into a high ponytail, letting it fall down to her waist. It was held up by a beautiful blue butterfly pin, ornate in design and beauty. She was wearing a black dress, with a single strap decorated with a red rose bloom on it. The dress itself was ruffled in design, and had several glittering sequins around the bust, which brought it out quite nicely. Around her waist was a white belt, tied behind her back into a bow, the excess ribbon trailing behind her. In the front, was a pin that had belonged to the alumni of Hope's Peak Academy, a silver colored pin, with the school's crest on it.

Underneath it was a small number 77 on it. The skirt of the dress was dark and bell shaped, giving the dress the feel of being a ball gown, but not exactly one at the same time. It had several intricate designs on it, roses being one of them. Her small feet were covered with a pair of black heels, which were polished to a shine, though they were barely visible due to her dress. The woman entered the large conference room at the top floor.

It was as you would expect of a room in a Togami building. It was huge and around with large parlor windows all over letting the light in. though they had their own lights on to drown out the crimson that streamed through the windows. Beautiful ornate plants were around the room, along with several fancy couches.

In the middle of a large oak table, and around it were the softest fanciest chairs imported from all around the world. In the back of the room, there was a large station, with a big screen in the center, along with smaller screens surrounding it. There was a console in front of it with several buttons, which she would admit, she didn't know what half of them did.

Around the room were several other stations, which monitored several sectors around the world. Everyone that was inside stopped what they were doing, immediately bowing to the woman.

A young girl, most likely around seventeen years of age raced up toward her, a clipboard secured in her hands. She had long lemon yellow hair, that reached down to her mid back. She had a single side ponytail, secured with a light blue ribbon. She was wearing a white button down shirt, with a matching brown ruffled skirt, short socks and formal shoes. She was also wearing a brown blazer over it, the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on the breast pocket. She was wearing a collar around her neck, decorated with several tiny gems that glittered in the light.

Beside her was a large German Shepard, the dog having a few scars from his time in the outside world, but not looking worse for wear. He was outfitted with a special vest that would protect him from gunfire, as well as a special collar which would block out any speeches coming from the Ex-Ultimate Animal Breeder.

This young woman was Misa Nishimori. The Ex-Ultimate Animal Whisperer, and now a Remnant of Hope. She gave the woman a smile, holding the clipboard out to her.

"Ma'am, we've received confirmation that Gundam Tanaka has just invaded Kyoto with his animals. He is in search of the final colony located there, so he can not only turn them into Despairites, but also gain new animal followers for his army." she said, the woman nodded, taking the clipboard from her. On it were several things written, including information and messages from the other colonies, asking for help.

"It's about goddamn time you showed up. Where the fuck were you?"

The blonde woman looked up, meeting the stern gaze of the young woman who had spoken.

Once being a blonde herself, she now had raven black hair. She had a soft face, with freckles dotting the bridge of her nose. Her fierce blue eyes burning with the same anger as the first time she had walked through those doors. She was similarly dressed in the Hope's Peak uniform, with hers being slightly different. Instead of a ruffled skirt, she wore a pair of short shorts, along with a long pair of stripped stockings, and sneakers. There was a cigarette tucked into the corner of her mouth, little clouds of smoke rising into the room, filling it with the scent of tobacco.

This was Natsumi Kuzuryuu, Ex-Ultimate Manga Artist. The woman shook her head, wrapping her arms around the clipboard pressing it to her bust.

"I told you two days ago Natsumi, I was out on business. Musashi can't let herself get seen by the Foundation or all of this will be for nothing. We've also gotten word from Rumi that Hiyoko is alive and well...but she ended up killing Akihiko Shouji." the woman said, her tone becoming sad. Natsumi's eyes widened a bit in shock.

"What the hell did she do that for?" Natsumi snapped angrily. She was furious that one of her old friends had been recently killed.

"I don't know. We'll get that answer from her soon enough. Kazuto, how are our defenses holding up?" she asked, looking at the second largest control panel in the building.

Several screens could be seen from it, three radars, one being a Doppler radar for the weather, along with several other things. In front of him sat a game controller, styled in the same way as the consoles of old.

The young man spun in his chair. He was around seventeen years of age, with a tired look on his pale face. He had short black hair, falling down to his dark eyes. He was wearing the male version of the Hope's Peak uniform, except he had turned his blazer into a vest and wore a black coat over it, for some reason or another. He wore brown pants and knee high armored boots. He gave the woman a small smile.

This was Kazuto Itachi, the Ex-Ultimate Retro Game collector. In the days where everything was still normal, Kazuto had held the world record for having the largest retro game collection in the world. From the very first console made in the fifties, to even rarer consoles like the Nintendo Playstation, he had them all. At least he did before the tragedy. Now, he used his retro gaming skills to man the security operations, as well as the defenses.

"The forcefield is running wonderfully, though it could use a tune up soon, if the Ex-Ultimate Robot would get on it, I would appreciate it." he said, ignoring the huff that came from the speakers next to him. He continued.

"Ammunition is still pretty good, and the Gatling Guns on the roof are running amazing as well. We do need a refill on those heat seeking missiles in case we get a repeat of last week. So far, no planes have flown anywhere near us." he said.

"Excellent. Akira, do you think you would tune up the force field?" the woman asked.

" _I'll work on it once I get back from Towa City. I'm still trying to figure out who's keeping Kotoko and the others trapped here."_ A light feminine voice said, almost sounding a bit robotic in nature.

"There is no hurry Akira...just be careful."

This was the voice of Akira Tetsujima, the Ex-Ultimate Cybernetic Technician. Akira is a tall young woman with lightly tanned skin, shoulder length Dark Red hair, and bright green eyes. While her torso is very curvaceous, her arms and legs are cybernetic in nature, having replaced them as a child. She normally wore a white tee shirt, with a sweater over it, that had little chibi robots on them, along with a black skirt and long stockings to cover her legs.

Now, her clothing consisted of something more mature in nature, a light gray long sleeved shirt, with the Hope's Peak blazer over it, along with a pair of dark blue jeans and heeled boots. Attached to her back is a special cybernetic spine, which holds several extra appendages that she uses to work with. When excited, she usually wiggled her mechanical tendrils all about, mostly creeping people out.

Now that she had joined the Remnants of Hope, she not only used her knowledge to help the injured by giving them their own prosthesis, but she also fought against the Monokuma take over that was running rampant on the streets. She had been studying them and developing ways to hack into them, but as of yet she hadn't found anything. She had also turned herself into a living weapon, giving herself upgrades almost constantly.

Natsumi had given her the nickname, Terminator, due to all of the upgrades she had given herself. You wouldn't want to mess with her in a fight, that's for sure. She was also responsible for weapons detail, being able to make various weapons and ammunition from very little material. There were a lot of broken Monokumas lying around for her to use anyway.

"Ma'am, I've received news from Prince Nevermind. Do you wish to hear it?" Misa asked, looking at her. The woman gave her a nod, making her turn back to her tablet.

"It seems the frontlines are being pushed back. Nearly half of the Novoselic forces have been wiped out. He's thinking of pulling out of the war for the time being, to rethink a new strategy." she said.

The woman grit her teeth, looking toward the parlor windows. She slowly walked toward them, her heels clacking lightly on the tile floor. She placed her hand on the glass, trying hard not to stare at her reflection. The beautiful teenager she used to be was replaced by the firm woman she was forced to become, and she hated it.

"Lady Sonia?"

She looked back, glancing at the concerned looks of her friends. They had been with her since the beginning. Salvaged from the academy before it was too late, and brought to live with them in a stronghold they had created, thanks to Ezekiel the Ex-Ultimate Doomsday Prepper. She shook her head, blinking a few times to get her bearings straight.

"He's doing the right decision. My brother was better trained at warfare than I was, so if he thinks he can bring an end to the Civil Dispute, then tell him I agree wholeheartedly." she said.

"But Lady Sonia, if he does pull out, what would happen to your citizens? They all think you are directing them." Misa said.

"Yes, I understand. As long as Mahiru...and the Ultimate Impostor are in Novoselic, there is nothing I can do. We already lost the King and Queen, it would be better for their forces to feel joy at driving away their enemy. It would lower their guard significantly, enough for Ashton to strike." She said.

"Alright...I'll let him know right away." Misa said, returning to her console to send the message out.

"Natsumi, any word on the other members of Hope?" she asked.

"No word yet. Takeshi is still in the outskirts, trying to reach that colony we just found and bring them to safety. Marie Rose also told us that she's been keeping a close eye on the Future Foundation's other branches. They're planning something, and have been talking about Jabberwork Island quite a lot." Natsumi replied.

"The resort in the South Pacific? What is so interesting about that place?" she asked.

"They believe it's a nesting ground for despair. They also think that it could be where the rest of the Reserve Course students, the Ultimate Despairs are hiding, lying in wait for a new command. The School Life of Mutual Killing is being broadcast worldwide, so I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility that Junko is using this to drive them further into despair." she said. Sonia nodded, taking a few steps away from the windows.

"Any news on Asuka? How is she doing?"

"The children she's saved are coming along just fine. She had a hard time dealing with a few of them, but she's gotten them under control. Otoki is with her as well, and thanks to Akira's ocular implants, she's been able to help out more than ever before." Kazuto said, lazily looking at the radar.

Sonia gave a nod, turning back to the large screen in the room. It was displaying a recorded stream of the Killing Game that was taking place in Hope's Peak Academy. She hated watching her friends killing each other, but she was trying to see if the school had anything that would lead them inside. A structural weakness from the inside was all they needed to gain access, but Kazuichi had built it tight. The thought of her classmate, doing such horrible things was really breaking her heart. She turned away from the television, just as her phone started to ring.

She reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out the pink cellphone that was stored inside. She flicked the switch on the side, activating the encryptor Akira had installed.

"This is Sonia speaking."

" _Jeez, about time you returned. I called earlier and your phone was off, what's the deal?"  
_

"My apologies Hiyoko. I was in a business meeting with Musashi up until a few hours ago. She had to suddenly leave, Tsubaki had apparently seen you running into the academy courtyard. What were you thinking?"

 _"Oh don't give me that shit. You and Tsubaki are the same...listen, I'll be near headquarters soon, so expect me there. I'll explain everything once I get there."_

"Alright I suppose. I shall be waiting."

" _Good, get a box of tissues, because you are definitely going to need them. Love you!"_

Sonia looked at her phone as the call ended, frowning a bit. What did her girlfriend mean by that? It didn't matter. She pocketed her cellphone and turned to the others.

"That was Hiyoko, it seems she will be stopping by soon enough. We must be ready to greet her, and help her with any endeavor she might be currently on. Remnants of Hope, we can't let the world fall deeper into Despair...let's keep working together to find a solution to this problem."

"Right!" they all cried, happy smiles on their faces.

They all returned to their work stations, continuing their search and rescue operations. Sonia looked back toward the window, seeing the tinged crimson sky, along with the rain clouds that were coming their way. She was able to see her full reflection this time. She was taller, her hair was longer, and she admitted she was bustier than before, but she didn't feel like a Princess, not anymore. Especially in this world..this rotten world where she had killed her parents. Such was the fate of the _Ultimate_ _Despair._

 _ **xxx**_

Hiyoko landed softly on the helipad atop the old Togami Enterprises building. She spared a single wave to Tatsumi as he shot off into the distance, most likely to refuel. She walked toward the elevator doors, pulling off the Mirai pin that had been attached to her jacket, tossing it over the edge of the building. She pressed her finger against the button, which scanned her finger print before the doors slid open. She stepped inside, pressing the button with the bold C on it. They slid closed, and she started heading down.

She was crazy, taking off from the Future Foundation without a single word, and asking for Tatsumi's help of all people. She shook her head, her blonde locks falling into her eyes. The doors slid open, and she stepped out into the hallway, walking down it. She ignored the crimson skies, the nearby destroyed buildings, and Hope's Peak Academy in the distance.

She had noticed that the sky had gotten even more crimson, if that was possible. It was as if it was exuding despair, a truly tragic sight. She reached the only doors in the empty hallway, and threw them open, announcing her arrival. Sonia looked up from the screen she had been looking at, a smile on her face. The two women briefly embraced, hugging each other tightly. The princess placed a soft kiss on her lips, the first they had shared in quite awhile.

"I missed you Hiyoko." the princess said.

"Same here. Listen, we need to plan an attack on the Future Foundation headquarters." she said.

"What? Are you insane blondie? Do you wanna die that badly?" Natsumi snapped, standing up from her seat. She crumpled the cigarette in her hand, hissing at the burn she had just given herself.

"It's not as if I have choice. Sonia, they're holding Daisuke hostage."

The princess's eyes widened in shock, and she backed away from her friend, hitting the table behind her. She brought a hand to her lips, covering her shocked expression with it.

"But...he's was dead...Akira and Erika told us he was dead." she said.

"Apparently, he had a metal plate in his head. Some accident he had as a kid, and it stopped the bullet fired from Junko's gun. He's been healing there this entire time and are using him to blackmail me. They want me to bring Kazuichi out, by killing Takane." she said.

"Is that so? Do they still think I was _despair_? Like I would let the bullshit Junko spits keep turning me into a mindless killing machine!" the platinum blonde exclaimed.

"He reinforced the academy Sonia, they want to get in. They want Junko, and sadly he's being used by them. That's why we need to attack, we need to get him out of there. I was told that he could be woken up at any time. Seiko Kimura is the one that is administering his medication. We get her, and rescue Daisuke, and we'll be golden, then we can proceed with operation Hope." Hiyoko said.

"Hate to piss in your cornflakes Dancer, but you should check this out." Kazuto said, bringing their attention over to his station.

Everyone in the room walked over to the station, where he had live feed on Hope's Peak Academy. Several Members of Despair had set up a perimeter around the school, and there were mechanics installing things onto the roof of the school. Anti-Tank Rifles, two more Gatling Guns, hell they even saw Automatic missile launchers. He zoomed in, and saw a familiar head of pink hair, directing all of the workers around. Hiyoko grit her teeth.

"Why are they doing that?" Sonia asked curiously.

"Fuck...it's because of me. I killed Akihiko, I made contact with Mukuro Ikusaba, I fought Peko, and I stole this too." she said, pulling the small memory card from her phone, handing it to Sonia.

"Is this?"

"Yasuke Matsuda's notes on the Memory wiping technology. This will help anyone recover their memories should they have lost them. He made an extra copy, and I guess Junko found out. I should have taken that picture with me. Damn it." Hiyoko hissed in anger.

"This is going to put a damper on our plan...but if we attack now, we could get them while their setting up." Sonia said.

"Are you sure Lady Sonia? We don't have that many foot soldiers...they all joined the foundation." Kazuto said.

"We have half of the Reserve Course with us Kazuto. All of them were willing to join us and fight for this cause, so call them up. Get in touch with that army base in Kyoto and have them send all of their fighter jets our way, we are going to bomb the academy and destroy those weapons." she said.

"Yes ma'am." Kazuto said, grabbing his headset. He grabbed a microphone, pressing the button next to the panel.

"Attention all members of Hope, this is a direct order from Lady Sonia, I need you all to assemble on the 22nd floor for debriefing. I repeat, all members of Hope, assemble on the 22nd floor for debriefing." he said. He turned the microphone and flicked another switch, before he started typing something onto the screen. Sonia pulled Hiyoko away, a firm look on her face.

"If we can capture Kazuichi alive, there's a chance we could use that information you gathered to erase his memories of meeting Junko, of all of this. She was able to fool us all as Ryouko Otonashi...all we have to do is generate new ones in their place." She said.

"I know...it's a good idea, but it would take a lot of technology, technology that we currently don't have...all of that is in the Neuroscience Lab back at the Academy." Hiyoko said.

The Princess grit her teeth, and she looked to the distance, where the Academy was standing, a testament of boldness and hope. Hope turned into Despair.

"Goddamn it all to hell. I will not stand here and let despair worm it's way deeper into this fucking planet. Tell Akira to get her ass back here, we're gonna find the Ultimate Therapist and start building a machine to reverse this shit." she cried out.

"But Lady Sonia, Miss Gekkougahara is part of the Future Foundation, how will..."

"Figure it out!" she cried loudly. Hiyoko placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at her.

"Take it easy, the hard stuff is just starting...I get that, but let's focus on Daisuke first. Once we have him with us, it'll all be alright. One step at a time." she said, a smile on her face. Sonia nodded, pulling her into another tight embrace. It wasn't often that she got angry...but this time it made sense for her to be.

 _ **xxx**_

It was dark..that's all that he could remember. He didn't know how dark it was, but was very very dark...pitch black.

Then, it all just...faded..it started getting lighter and lighter. He started hearing sounds, sounds of construction...explosions... _despair._..it was spreading. All over the world it was spreading.

He was in a classroom, on the Fourth Floor of Hope's Peak Academy, just staring out the window. The room had been stripped of desks, all of them had been placed in classroom 4-B. He pressed his hand on the glass window, just staring out at the world. There had been a perimeter placed around the school, large cement walls separating the campus from anyone threatening to get in. He spotted a few bodies, stabbed into the long metal spikes that made up the fence, a remainder of the mass suicide the Reserve Course students had just a month prior. The fall of society happened quick, and they hadn't had time to pull them off the fence.

He had watched many things happening around the world. The fall of England due to the assassination of their queen. The fall of the United States, due to their President declaring his love for despair...similar nations, France, Spain, Germany...even Japan...all of them had joined Despair, had donned those...horrific masks and given themselves wholeheartedly into despair. It was disgusting...it was scary.

He felt a hand slip into his own, and he looked down, seeing the scared look of his little sister, Kotoko Utsugi. Even though they had been living together for a few months, since he she had joined his family, she still acted like a little girl. She was eleven now, almost twelve, and still wore her favorite dress, and her pink criss crossing pink leggings. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, hugging her tightly to himself. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Big brother...when is the world going to go back to the way it was?" she asked softly. It was muffled, due to her face being pressed into his blazer. He sighed, looking to the wall instead of outside.

"I don't know sweetheart. Everything is falling apart, it's getting harder and harder to do anything...especially with the _Ultimate_ _Despairs_ spreading their propaganda everywhere." he replied.

"Why did they kill mommy? She didn't have to die." she asked curiously.

He was beginning to wonder if she was going to break into tears or not, after the awful year she had had, he doubted she would. She was a very brave little girl.

"I can't answer that either sweetie. People are bad, evil monsters. They see despair, and wish to spread it onto others...she just happened to be a victim of this cruel world." he said.

"The sky is turning red...is it because of the fires all over the world? Or because the world is crying blood for all the people its lost?"

He had to chuckle at that one.

Kotoko was smart, very smart. The simple explanation of that was due to all of the residue, not only because of the fires, but also because of the bombs that had been dropped everywhere. Maybe the very world was accepting despair, and the sky turning red was the first sign.

"The world fell into despair, so the sky had to match it. That's the only answer I got for you." he said.

"Hmm...you know, big sis Taeko was playing Chinese Checkers with me earlier, she actually let me win. She knew I couldn't beat her."

"Yeah, she's like that with everyone. I should know, I've never won a goddamn thing when I play with her."

"Big sis Sayaka was playing dress up with me, and we sung tons of her songs, and Big brother Nick made cookies. I would have brought you some but I ate them all." she said, making him chuckle.

"What about dad, he around?" he asked.

"Daddy is in his office. He was talking to the others about the renovations." she said.

He gave her a nod, turning back to the outside world. The sounds of a crane could be heard, and soon enough, a large steel panel was lowered over the glass, plunging their world back into the darkness.

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno woke up in a cold sweat, panting for breath. He looked around, brushing his sweaty locks from his eyes. He remembered he was in Taeko's room, the young woman was peacefully sleeping on her bed. He had been sleeping on the floor, since he had told her multiple times he didn't want to share a bed with her. He lay back down on the futon he had brought into the room, sighing to himself. It was dark, but he could still see perfectly for some reason. He dug his hand into his pillow, pulling out a notebook with the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on it. He flipped to a blank page, pulling out the sparkly pink pen from the inside pocket.

"Another dream...another memory." he muttered to himself, as he started jotting everything down.

This entire week, after the execution of his fellow student Chihiro Fujisaki, he had been having vivid dreams. He didn't know what to make of them, but had decided to write them down. No matter how vividly the dream, when he thought about it, he didn't recall anything about it, which was why he wrote everything down as soon as he woke up, he didn't want to lose them all to the expanse of his psyche. He barely noticed the camera looking at him, he had learned to ignore it.

Metal plates, the sky turning red...Kotoko asking about his mother? His dead mother apparently, and even his father...he didn't remember his father at all...he wasn't even aware his mother had been killed. If that was true, then it only served to bring him even more heart ache. He started thinking about it more and more as he wrote everything down and he couldn't help but break into sobs. He buried his face into the pillow, trying not to make it apparent.

" _God...when will this end? When will all of this end? I can't take it anymore. The lines keep getting blurred...Hope and Despair all seems the fucking same to me. Stop playing these cruel tricks with me you son of a bitch...what kind of omnipotent being just lets this happen?!"_ he screamed internally.

He had decided at that point in time that religion was bullshit. He cursed God's existence with every fiber of his being. He swore at him, cursed at every single religion in the world, none of it mattered, not with the brightness of Hope was being clouded by the crimson skies of Despair.

" _Don't give up Hope. You can lead them to daylight!"_

"Chihiro?" he muttered quietly, looking up. He swore he saw the small programmer standing in front of him.

" _D'aw...look at you. You've fallen so deep into Despair, you started to lose hope. We can't have that happening now can we?"_

" _That's right. Listen here you bastard...if you fucking lose yourself now, you'll never be able to beat that twisted evil bear. Don't fucking fail now."_

"Junko...Mondo." he whispered. The two were now standing next to Chihiro, holding her hands.

" _Classmate Yuno, you cannot give up. You must not falter...get our friends out of the academy, face the world and everything it will throw at you. Make me proud to have known you, make me proud to have been your friend!"_

" _We may have not talked much...but I believe in you. I never expressed my love to Master Byakuya...and that is a regret I carry with me. But you can't give up hope, not when you are this close to solving everything. Please...get them out of there, at least do us that much."_

"Taka...Touko."

All of the dead students...the Ultimate students that had paid the price of falling victim to the bear's game...they were all there looking at him with smiles on their faces. They were giving him hope, they were sharing their hope with him. He gave them a smile and a firm nod, tears slipping from their eyes.

" _I won't fail you guys. I will get us out of here, I will avenge you...the world was cruel to put you through this...and I promise you with my life, that we will all get out of here."_

They gave him a nod...finally disappearing from around him. With renewed vigor, Yuno continued jotting down his dream, adding it to the rapidly filling notebook. If he could piece this all together, than he would have everything he needed to put his biggest investigation together.

The Mystery of Hope's Peak Academy, who was the mastermind, why had they done this? Why did they want them feeling despair? Why them? Where was his Class? All of this would get solved eventually, and he wasn't going to die trying, and he wasn't going to become the victim of a class trial either. He turned around, holding his middle finger to the camera.

" _Oppress me, and get ready to feel a world of hurt. I will destroy you, you bastard."_


	19. Chapter 4 Act 1: Hopeful Situations

**A/N: Well well well, it's that time once again. Welcome back to the School Life of Mutual Killing, Part 2. If you have been keeping up with my updates, then you all are informed of the changes to this story, but if you just skipped it, then here is a refresher. I decided to turn the Hiyoko Side story into The School Life of Mutual Killing Part 2, and after every chapter ends for the main story, we will cut to the outside to see how Hiyoko and the Remnants of Hope are doing. I made it this way so that i can develop both stories at the same time with moderate pacing for both of them. that way I didn't have to tear my work in half and split it between Zetzubou-Hen and Mirai-Hen. Zetzubou-Hen will be continued after this story ends and will serve as the Prologue to Part 1 of The School Life of Mutual Killing and will follow a specific timeline, created by me.**

 **Anywhoo..this chapter does contain a lot of information, including a memory flashback. It will also talk about the next important part of the story and how everything will start coming together. I realized Monokuma in the games and anime delivered hints to the Students eluding as to what was happening beyond the walls of Hope's Peak, and I noticed that I didn't have him drop as many of those hints, as I was focusing more on the overall aspect and character development, which isn't bad so to say, but Monokuma's hints are important, as it does show that Junko is helping out her classmates by giving them a little extra push, though they just disregard everything as mere ramblings of a mad bear. I will try to make more of these hints without spoiling anything. I'm surprised no one has caught the hints that I left in the previous chapters, detailing several things about someone very important to the story. But I digress...here is the newest chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing Part 2, hope you enjoy it!**

 **Update: 6/29/17 As of today, all of Chapter 4 has been edited and re uploaded. This Chapter contains various fixes with grammar and the overall continuity of the series. Various new things have been added throughout each act, including extended conversations and a few extra events that didn't take place in the original. I have also split Act 4 in two, creating an Act 5 which contains the class trial. I felt that it was wicked long so I decided to split it down the middle. I may do that with Chapter Six as well, depending on the length of it. Anyways, let me know how the new content is.**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 4

Act 1

Hopeful Situations

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

It was dark, that's all he remembered. He didn't know how long he had been asleep for, but he remembered he had been sitting down. His lavender eyes opened and he looked around the room, the familiar Gothic theme greeted him once more. In that second, he remembered he had been staying in his friend's room. The young woman was peacefully sleeping in her bed, her covers tucked just below her neck. He could see her dark underwear underneath the white sheets.

A week had passed since the last murder, he remembered it vividly. How Bryce had used Chihiro to commit a heinous crime against her will, and had gotten her executed. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was rapidly becoming the norm. The darkened walls that held him prisoner, in the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy, now nothing more than a disgusting prison, an institute that bred despair.

In the month that they had been trapped there, many things had happened and horrible events had come to pass, and with them came the untimely deaths of close friends. Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista had been the first victim, who as killed by the Ultimate Biker, Mondo Oowada. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass, had been accidentally killed by Genocide Jill, the alternate persona of the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Touko Fukawa. She had killed herself shortly after. More recently, the murder attempt of Celestia Ludenburg, which was still fresh in his mind. It had resulted in the death of Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. He had started loosing hope after that one.

There were 13 people left, from the original 17 that had formed his class. No...class 78, he wasn't a part of their class...and neither were Bryce, Nick and Mikan, all belonging to different classes. He still didn't know the reasoning behind their gathering.

What had lured them to the academy of hope, had turned into the ultimate despair inducing scenario. Their closest family members had been kidnapped. They were being threatened with their darkest secrets, hell he would bet everything he owned that the latest motive would have been money, if Bryce hadn't acted. Now he wasn't sure what was coming next, but what he did know, was that he needed to get out. If he wanted to make it out alive, he had to search the school top to bottom. Easier said than done, considering they were stuck on the first floor. Monokuma had yet to unlock the Fourth Floor, and he wasn't sure it would ever open up. He could hope it did at least.

He looked at the floor, seeing the things he had in his hand before he had fallen asleep. He straightened up, cracking his back, a painful groan escaping his lips. It was four in the morning, is the time displayed on the clock across the room was right at least. He reached for the paper first, the note that Chihiro had given him. It was all still in binary, and he didn't know what any of it meant. The second thing was his room key. He looked at the wooden block the key was attached to, seeing his initials, _Y. Nagahama_ , his name.

He spared a glance back at Taeko, who was still peacefully sleeping. She had been in a lot of pain earlier, but he was happy she was at least resting now. She was healing nicely, and all he wanted was to see her be her old self again. He started playing with his room key, making sure the jingle didn't wake up his slumbering friend. He grabbed the wooden block as it slipped from his hand, catching it before it hit the ground. He sighed, looking at it closely.

That's when he noticed it, the paint was chipped. The area where his name was had been peeling off. He used his thumb nail, scraping it across the wood, collecting a bit of the paint residue under it. Monokuma had said these were made specifically for them, that meant this room key wasn't his. He stood up, quietly making his way to the bathroom, locking the door after himself. He flicked the switch, bathing the room in light, digging through the cupboard above the sink, he found what he was looking for. Nail polish remover, something Taeko seemed to have a lot of. He grabbed a cotton ball, dousing it in the liquid before he brushed it across the surface of his room key. His eyes widened when he saw the paint start coming off.

He kept wiping it off, erasing the previous paint job, revealing the laser etched name that lay underneath. His eyes widened, jaw dropping as he let go of the key.

It couldn't be...he refused to believe it. He turned the light off, tossing the cotton ball into the trash can before he walked out of the bathroom, back into the bedroom. He noticed the camera was following his movements, and he stopped, looking directly at it. His eyes were burning holes into it.

"You bastard. I will find out who you are...I swear on my life." he said softly, but firmly.

If the mastermind could see him, there was a chance that he could see him as well. He grabbed the note Chihiro had given him, along with a spare sheet of paper from Taeko's desk. He hastily scribbled the binary that was written on the new sheet of paper, folding it tightly. He walked over to her sleeping form, and took a hold of her hand, shoving the paper inside it. She moved slightly, but didn't wake. He didn't want her to, or else she would berate him for breaking her self imposed nighttime rule.

He scooped up his journal, and stuffed it into his back pocket, along with his ehandbook, though he wouldn't be needing it for anything. He walked over to the door, quietly unlocked it and grabbed her room key. Once in the hallway, he closed the door behind himself and locked it for good measure. She almost died once, he wasn't going to take that chance again. He looked around the empty hallway, ignoring the low crimson lights that bathed the dormitory area.

He walked out of the dorms, across the plaza toward Hope's Peak Academy proper.

Keeping a close eye on all of his surroundings, he hastily made his way across the first floor, quietly climbing the steps toward the second floor. He looked around when he got to the top of the stairs, sighing to himself. It's as if he expected to see someone else up there. The visions were growing worse, and he hated to admit it, but they were growing more vivid as the days came and went.

It was a lot of people, students of Hope's Peak, talking...laughing...filled with hope. Visions of a blonde haired girl and her dog playing fetch in the hallway, getting yelled at by Taka for doing so. Getting chased by Natsumi for not helping her with her homework, bumping into the Traditional Dancer and Story Teller making out in the hallway...it was all too damn real, and Yuno wanted it to stop. He wanted it all to end, so he could get some peace of mind, but they wouldn't leave him alone.

He walked into the library, which was luckily dark. It seemed Byakuya wasn't taking chances anymore, and had skipped his late night reading sessions. He walked over to one section of the library, where the programming books were, and pulled out a book on reading binary. He walked over to an empty table, and opened the book. He was going to crack this note, even if it was the end of him.

 _ **Xxx**_

Junko smirked, eyeing the screen that was displaying the library. She had been waiting patiently for Yuno to make a tiny mistake. He had been really defensive for the last week, but it seemed his own paranoia and his desire to figure out what was truly going on had made him lower his guard. She smiled brightly, spinning around her chair and standing up. She was about to head into the Monokuma control room, when she saw something streak across one of the outdoor cameras. Growling to herself, she strolled up to the large screens that were hooked up the the perimeter cameras. Seven of them had been taken out by Hiyoko earlier that week, and she was already working on replacing them, but what was running across the courtyard was even more interesting.

It was a young man, wearing a Hope's Peak Academy uniform. She hadn't expected to see that uniform again, not for awhile at least. He was racing across the yard, dropping things all over the place. She tilted her head curiously, and pressed one of the zoom buttons on the nearest camera, as she was trying to figure out what had been dropped, the screen fizzled out, and she was greeted with static. She looked at another camera, seeing all of them slowly fizzle out of existence until all of them were down. The same red flashing light was greeting her. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You people really love to cause me despair don't you? How adorable...I'll crush all of your hearts underneath the heel of my shoe." she said, slamming her fist over a red button. All of the screens blacked out, all replaced with the famous red lightning bolt marking she had come to love.

"Attack Monokuma 2.0. I hope you like them kids, they've been in the shop for awhile. I think it's time I upgrade the security system too, best talk to Kazuichi, I'm sure all of those guns are done by now." she said, skipping back toward the control room.

She sat down in her chair, activating one of the Monokuma units. She directed it through the special hallways, toward Bryce's room. It was about time the next motive started...to bad it was going to be a motive solely for an Ultimate Despair like him.

 _ **xxx**_

Bryce jolted awake, as he looked around his darkened room. His crimson eyes looked at every corner of the room, trying to spot the intruder. He reached underneath his pillow, pulling out the revolver he had been hiding. That gun had become his best friend, it not only took out the annoying Moral Compass, but it also helped him cause despair to his friends. He looked at his night table, spotting the small glass case that was sitting on it. Setting his gun aside, he reached for his lamp, turning it on. He grabbed the note on top of the case, and started reading it.

" _Dear friend, how's it going? Bet you've been dying to cause some despair. The first thing I want you to do me a favor...call it a motive. All you have to do is use this special medicine on the Archer. It's going to lure him into a sense of false security and then you can strike! If you don't follow these instructions, then our little deal will be null and void, meaning you won't be able to save mommy dearest. Of course this is all up to you, you can give this to someone else, but if you ask me, this is exactly what you need. Have fun!"_

Bryce's brows furrowed as he looked at the glass case. Inside it was an intricate looking syringe, with a glowing red liquid. The needle was really thick too, and the plunger was a soft white color. The outer casing of it was pitch black. The monochrome color scheme of the syringe made him smile.

"A motive just for me huh? I suppose I can make good use of it." he said, standing up.

He quickly got dressed, stuffing the syringe in his pocket. He moved toward the door, grabbing his key and making his way outside. He would explore the halls of the academy, until he found his target. The sneer on his face exuded pure despair...for the Ultimate Architect, it was too late..he had given himself to despair, and he wouldn't be coming back from it.

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his stinging eyes. He didn't know how long it had been, or how long he had actually been up, but he finally was able to crack the code that Chihiro had left behind. He yawned quietly, grabbing the sheet of paper, leaning over it so the camera couldn't see it.

" _To anyone who is reading this, and is smart enough to decode it, congratulations! Binary isn't that easy to figure out. Sadly, this also means that I have either become a victim, or have been executed. I would never fall to something like that, but in these times, anything is possible. This is a brief note, but if you were able to come this far, then that means you are a very special person, most likely close to me. And because of that, you have the right to follow this clue._

 _In my bedroom, you'll need to search for a key...that key will be your safety net. The mystery of Hope's Peak Academy is something that I've been trying to figure out since day one, even with my shy nature. The key will be located in my mattress, along with the second clue...after you read this, destroy it. I've hidden the key to my room in the Boy's Locker Room on the second floor, underneath the potted plant. I don't want anyone but you to find this!_

" _Thank you for everything, you were a voice of reason that served to keep me calm. You listened to me, provided me with your friendship and understanding, thank you so much Yuno!"_

Tears started falling on the paper. He hadn't even realized he was crying. He grit his teeth, trying to hold back the sobs, but he couldn't. He just lowered his head into his arms, and just let the tears flow. Junko, Mondo, Taka, Touko, Chihiro...all of them were victims of this cruel game they were playing. He was haunted by them, and was seeing them more frequently. He just couldn't stop thinking about them, he honestly wanted to die, but he had promised Taeko he wouldn't give up. He would turn this pain into hope, and he would use their hope to get out of this situation.

He didn't even feel the needle pricking his neck until it was too late, and he immediately fell unconscious.

 _Ding Dong Ding Dong_

" _Ahem, it is now 7AM and Nighttime is officially over. Goood Morning! Let's all get ready to start another beautiful day."_

Taeko groaned, and she tried to block out the morning message with her pillow. She knew it was futile, she was already awake. And if she was awake, she might as well be up. She grit her teeth as she stood, her bare feet touched the cold linoleum, making her shiver. She didn't even bother to cover herself as she looked around the room, running her fingers through her long black hair.

She reached down to her chest, the stab wound she had gotten the week prior was healing nicely, and Mikan had taken the sutures out the previous day. She stretched her tired limbs, looking at the ground. She noticed the slip of paper that had fallen to the floor, and crouched down to pick it up. Unfolding it, all she saw was binary code in it. Shrugging, she slipped it into her bra, the corner sticking out just a bit.

"Yuno dear...it's time to wake up." she said happily.

It was weird hearing her normal voice, without that strained English accent. She had felt much lighter as Taeko Yasuhiro, like she didn't have as many responsibilities. She still had a dream of one day having a castle filled with Vampire butlers, but for now, she would work on getting out of the academy, and maybe winning a few prizes from the claw machine on the third floor. She looked down at the ground, her ruby eyes widening when she didn't see Yuno in his makeshift bed.

She looked around the room, but didn't find him anywhere. She moved to the bathroom, thinking he would be in there taking a shower, but was instead surprised when she saw an open bottle of nail polish remover, along with a room key. She carefully crouched down, as to not aggravate her wound, and picked it up. She turned it over, brow furrowing a bit.

"Hisashi Kirigiri? Kyoko's brother? What is his key doing here?" She muttered under her breath.

She heard the bell ring, and stood up, strolling her way out of the bathroom and toward her door. She quickly unlocked it, and was greeted with Mikan and Leon, her two closest friends. Mikan gave her a warm smile, while Leon just blushed.

"Aren't you gonna get dressed?" he asked nervously. She rolled her eyes.

"Leon sweetheart, everyone already saw me in my underwear, what do you care if I'm wearing clothes or not?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Well...it's just...uncomfortable." he said. She rolled her eyes, stepping aside so that they could walk in.

"I was about to take a shower, Mikan dear why don't you help me? It would be better if you would clean my wound for me." she said.

"Alright, you can wait here Leon." Mikan said.

She looked around the room, noticing Yuno was missing. She looked at the raven haired gambler, a questioning look on her face.

"Where's Yuno?"

"He was gone when I awoke. Probably at breakfast already." Taeko replied.

"That's a little odd. Usually he would wait here until we showed up and would come with us. He...hasn't been the same since the class trial...it hit him pretty hard." he admitted, looking toward the wall. His friend's condition was a worrying topic.

"He's told me he's been having very vivid dreams, but he often can't remember what their about. I encouraged him to write them down in a notebook as soon as he woke up, but we haven't talked about it." Mikan added.

"Perhaps Sayaka or Makoto can talk to him about it. For now let's just focus on getting through the day. We still haven't received news on whether or not we'll gain access to the Fourth Floor or not." she said, grabbing a change of underwear and her towel. Leon nodded, heading toward the door.

"I'll go look for him. I can't stop worrying you know?"

"We'll meet you at the cafeteria then. Do hurry...we wouldn't want to worry anyone." Taeko replied.

Leon left the room shortly after, stepping into the hallway. He almost bumped into Sayaka, who was about to ring the doorbell. She was wearing a simpler outfit than she normally would wear. A blue tank stop, with a black spaghetti strap shirt underneath, along with a pair of white shorts, and her heeled sandals.

Her hair was tied into pigtails, with pink hair ribbons, and she was wearing one of the many Kitty Barrettes Yuno had gifted her. He took notice of her arm, which wasn't in a sling anymore, and that really made him happy. She gave him a smile.

"Good morning Leon. Is Yuno in there?"

"No he isn't. Taeko doesn't know where he is either, so I decided to look for him." he said.

"He probably left for the cafeteria. That's a little odd of him, normally he would wait for us...then again he hasn't been himself lately."

"Yup...so how's the arm?" he asked curiously. He had noticed she wasn't wearing her sling anymore.

"It's healing. It still hurts like a bitch, especially at night...oh and don't get me started on the itching. It's absolutely horrible. I used one of my combs to scratch myself, and I got yelled at by Mikan for the better half of an hour, until she finally just gave me a tongue depressor with cotton on it. It doesn't help much but it's better than nothing."

"Yeah, it's not fun. I can tell you that much." he said, scratching his neck.

"Have you broken something?" she asked. He gave her a nod, his orange spikes moving slightly.

"I broke my leg once during baseball practice. I was around thirteen, and my cousin and I were practicing for a Junior game. I wasn't paying attention to where I was running and ended up tripping over a tree branch, and slammed into this huge rock. I don't remember much, other than the pain, and the ambulance. When I woke up, I was greeted with my worried parents, my doting cousin and a big ass cast on my leg. I just wished they gave me a boot instead. That fucking shit sucked." he said, making her giggle. The two students walked into the cafeteria, seeing the rest of their classmates already there.

"Morning you two. Just in time for breakfast!" Nick said, already passing a wide array of foods around, with Hina's help.

Sayaka stifled a giggle, noticing the way the swimmer was moving around the room, a spring in her step. She also noticed how Sakura was standing next to Bryce, the Ultimate Architect just looked around with a bored look on his face, crimson eyes just staring.

"Have you seen Yuno around?" Leon asked. Nick shook his head.

"Isn't he always with you two?"

"Yes, he usually helps Taeko out in the morning until Mikan and I go check on her. This is really weird of him." Sayaka said.

"You don't think..." Nick began.

"Don't even finish that! We can't keep assuming people are dead...after what just happened, I don't think anyone would fall to murder that quick." Makoto said, earning a chuckle from Bryce.

"I don't know Ahoge dude, the temptation is there. All you need is the right motivation, and a slight push in the right direction." he said. Everyone glared at him, pure hatred in their eyes.

"Why don't we go look for him? It doesn't sit right with me just staying here." Hina said.

"Right, let's split up and check every floor. Sakura, do you mind keeping an eye on Bryce until we come back?" Leon asked, looking at the wrestler.

"Not at all Leon. I shall keep a very close eye on him." She said.

"I'll stay here too. Can't leave her alone with him, not that I doubt you or anything Ogre, just can never be too sure." Nick said, earning a grunt from her. Everyone else nodded, leaving the cafeteria.

"Oh my, where is everyone going off to in such a hurry?" Taeko said, looking at everyone as they raced by.

Leon stopped briefly, allowing Sayaka and Makoto to continue. He took notice of her outfit.

Instead of one of her frivolous Gothic dresses, she was actually dressed in more normal clothes. She was wearing a light blue tee shirt, with black lettering on it, spelling the world Love in Japanese. She wore a matching short skirt, with torn fishnet stockings, and her favorite red heels. She was wearing a black vest over it, which was torn in a few places, with strands coming off of it, though it was merely as a fashion stand point. Her long raven hair was brushed and left to fall down to her mid back, leaving some long bangs to partially cover her left eye. She looked stunning, and for a few seconds, Leon just stood there gaping. She giggled, raising a dainty hand to her lips. He noticed her nail polish had gone from black to a bright crimson.

"Am I that beautiful Leon?" she asked.

"Uh...of course...you look stunning. Where did you get the clothes though? I thought you only had Gothic stuff?" he asked.

"Well, since our dear friend Junko has departed this realm, I decided to put some of her clothes to good use. She did have a lot of nice things in there, and as a woman I couldn't let them sit there. I know she would want someone to at least wear her fashion." she said.

"That's really kind of you Taeko. It's a great way to remember our friend. But now we should focus on looking for Yuno. Sayaka and Makoto took the second floor and everyone else is split up between the first and third. Let's give them a hand." he said.

"Right!"

With that, the two headed into the academy proper, in search for their missing friend.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Oh come on, you can't be telling me that you honestly think that!" a male voice cried. Yuno shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Of course I do Ryoutaro. Look, if you take her to this place, she will definitely fall in love with you." he said amiably.

The brown haired teen, Ryoutaro adopted a pensive look on his features. He was a couple years older than Yuno, in the 77th class, and was known as the Ultimate Carpenter.

He was a tall young man, almost six feet in height, with long smooth brown hair that slightly fell over his lightly tanned skin. He had vibrant blue eyes, as cool as the Arctic ocean, and as gentle as a summer breeze. He was wearing a long sleeved dress shirt, with matching brown pants and his long leather boots. He was wearing a black suit vest, his tie was secured to his shirt with a stick pin, and stuck inside his vest.

"Ryoutaro, trust me on this. I took Sayaka to this place earlier this week, and she was really happy. Let me tell you, the fans are not loving our relationship, they keep threatening me with stupid shit. I got enough death threats to write a horror novel!" he asked, earning a chuckle, from his friend.

Both of them were sitting back, in the classroom that had once belonged to class 77A. Since the new building had opened, their class wasn't seen much around the old school building, except for classes like Music, Chemistry and Physics, which barely interested most of them.

"You just...don't understand. Emma is a little...traditional...hell...she's too traditional at times. I don't even know what she's thinking half the time, she's always immersed in her art." He said.

"Well, what about the museum then? She may like that." he asked, glancing out the window. He saw several people running around the courtyard, but nothing to raise an alarm.

"That isn't a bad idea, I mean there may be some new paintings on display now. She was talking about an art submission a few days back, before that massacre happened." he said.

"Yeah, don't remind me...this school is doing their damnedest to keep it hidden." Yuno asked, looking out the window.

Ryoutaro turned to face the glass, eyes narrowing. He saw a few people pointing up, but due to where they were, he couldn't really see anything. He rapidly stood up.

"Come on, something is going on outside." he said.

Yuno nodded, and stood up as well, racing after his friend, down the stairs and across the second floor, all the way down to the first one. They headed toward the front Atrium, rushing past the glass doors, once in the large courtyard, the two turned around, eyes widening in horror.

Several students were standing at the edge of the building, looking down at the ground with crazed looks on their faces.

Several girls were already screaming and crying, while a few others were filming the whole thing. Yuno turned to the nearest student, getting their attention.

"Get the headmaster, and someone call the police!" he shouted angrily. The student nodded and raced off, to find the headmaster. The head security guard, Juzo Sakakura, looked up, a mega phone in his hands.

"Stop what you are doing. Reserve Course students aren't allowed on the Main Course campus. Come down from where you are and you will be dealt with accordingly!" he screamed. All he got as a loud laugh.

"You can't tell us what to do, Ultimate Boxer! We pay your salary, our money goes to this hellhole that we admired so much! You don't have the right to order us around." the young man cried, it seemed as if he was their leader.

"Why you little shit. Don't make me get my ass up there!"

"Juzo, for fuck sakes man. Don't tempt them to do anything. Matter of fact, give me that." Yuno said, pulling the megaphone from the older man's grasp. He saw a familiar head of blue hair beside him, hands clenched together.

"Yuno...what's happening?" Sayaka asked, a worried look on her face.

"I don't know sweetie, I was hanging out with Ryoutaro when this started up. Hey! If you don't get down you'll hurt yourself. Please, just come down here already, we can talk about this!"

"Screw you! You don't give a shit about us, all you care about is your precious main course. We have to pay to get in, while you got in on a stupid talent, Ultimate ******* ************ my ass." the teen cried. Yuno grit his teeth, about to reply when he felt a gloved hand on his own. He looked to his right, seeing his friend Kyoko, standing beside him, a frown on her face. She took the megaphone from him, looking straight at the leader.

"Reserve Course Students, please get down from there...we don't want anyone to get hurt!" she cried.

"Oh yeah? You don't want anyone to get hurt, then what about the Student Council? _13 kids_ died three days ago, and you fuckers are trying to cover it up!" one shouted angrily.

"What?" Sayaka cried, glancing at Yuno. His face remained calm as he took a breath, brushing his wet locks from his face.

"I do not know where you learned this information, but it isn't true. The School Council is currently out of the country, studying abroad! Please get down from there, I promise nothing will happen to you." Kyoko said firmly.

"You liar!"

"Tell us outright you bastards, you're hiding this!"

The leader of the group threw something down, which fluttered in the wind as it fell. It slammed to the ground, sliding a few feet from the impact. Several glossy pictures fell from within the book, which actually turned out to be a binder. One of the girls knelt down and picked it up, eyes widening.

"What is this...oh my god, they truly are dead!"

"No, those have to be fakes...they can't be real."

"I don't think you can fake someone's decapitation asshole!"

The crowd of security guards and Ultimate students started bickering back and forth, arguing about the pictures. Sonia knelt down and grabbed one that had fallen to the floor, almost throwing up when she saw it.

"Kiriko...Karen...Oh my god." she said, placing a hand on her throat.

"This is terrible." Peko whispered, tearing her eyes away from the pictures.

"Daisuke...he was suffering because he saw this...he saw this in person...and those fucks are trying to hide it!" Hiyoko snapped angrily. Yuno shook a bit as he took back the bullhorn. He glanced at Juzo, who had a sad look on his face.

"I don't know where you got a hold of this, but I must ask you to keep it to yourselves. If the people found out about this..."

"That's the idea asshole, we're sick and tired of being second rate...we're going to send a message not just to this pathetic academy, but to the entire goddamn world. We will not fall beneath those with talent, we will fight, even if we have to give up our lives for it!"

With that, the boy jumped. Several people screamed as his body struck the ground, exploding with pink blood. Several more people cried, loud pops and sickening crunches filled the area as all of the students jumped off the building. They all screamed, but not in fear, it looked like they were enjoying themselves. The looks on their faces were of pure glee, their eyes crimson and filled with nothing but despair. Yuno closed his eyes, dropping to his knees, trying to cover the sound.

"Stop it, stop it please!" he shouted, tears running down his face.

But they didn't stop, one by one, all 267 students jumped off of the Main Course building, their bodies littered the entire courtyard, large splotches of blood ran down the drains, mixing with the rainwater.

 _ **Xxx**_

"Wa...up! Wake up you simpleton!"

Yuno's eyes snapped open, and he looked directly into the eyes of Byakuya Togami. The look on his face was that of surprise. Yuno looked around for his notebook, and quickly threw it open, grabbing his pen and biting the cap off, he started jotting down his latest dream.

"Have you gone mad? Falling asleep here of all places? With a murderer at our backs...heh, maybe you want to die." He said.

"Not now Byakuya. I have to write this down, I have to figure out what this means." he said, not looking up from his notebook. The Affluent Progeny pushed his glasses up his nose, turning around with a hiss.

"I know not the reason why you have come here, but know that the next time this happens, I will not try to wake you. I thought you were dead, and heaven knows we don't need another class trial now of all times." he said.

"Oh, is the rich bigot getting tired of playing Guess Who?" he asked, his voice soft and childish.

"I will not have you talk to me like that." He said, slamming his hand against the wooden table.

The two of them heard a crinkle, as if something had fallen off the table and onto the floor. Yuno finished jotting the last of his dream, closing and locking his notebook before looking under the table. He saw a picture, face down. He reached for it, looking under the table where a slight piece of tape was still stuck to it.

"This wasn't here recently. Kyoko would have found it." He muttered.

"Well, flip it over. It might hold a clue as to why we are here." he said. Yuno nodded, turning the picture over. He held back a chuckle, almost wanting to laugh...but then regret and sadness washed over him, making him feel like crap. He held the picture out to Byakuya, who took it from his hand.

"What...what is the meaning of this?" he asked firmly.

"Isn't it obvious. You and Touko were a thing." he said with a shrug.

The picture did indeed feature the Affluent Progeny and the Writing Prodigy.

She actually looked really happy in the picture. Her hair was out of it's braids, and fell down her back in a curtain of purple. She was wearing a beautiful black off the shoulder dress, with a corsage on her left wrist. Her bangs fell slightly over her glasses, her eyes were shining brightly, and her smile was genuine. Hooked around her right arm, was none other than Byakuya Togami, dressed in a fancier version of his current suit, if that was possible. The one in the picture looked as if he was wearing one made of silk.

His hair was slightly longer, falling down to the nape of his neck, and his face was one of sheer joy. He had a white rose pinned to his pocket, and was holding a black box in his hands. Whatever was inside was a mystery, though it did seem like a necklace of some sort. They were in what looked like a Music room, which was decorated with streamers, a ball perhaps?

"This is an outrage. I would never associate let alone court someone as uncouth and as smelly as Touko Fukawa." he shouted.

"Say whatever you want. But if this picture is like the last one I found, then it's a genuine article. It was taken here in the academy, before all of this shit, and you two were in love. It's written on your faces." Yuno snapped.

"No we weren't. It isn't possible." he snapped.

"Anything is possible Byakuya. Not everything is smoke and mirrors, there are wonderful things in this world, this world filled with Hope. Our situation maybe grim now, but there was a time where all of us we're happy. And if we want to find out what happened to those happy times, we have to work together and figure out the Mystery of Hope's Peak Academy." he said.

"This is what the mastermind wants Yuno. Open your eyes and smell the roses." he continued.

"Well I have, and look at what's happened...Five of us are already dead, and that number could go up at any given moment. We have to stop acting like two year olds and work together to defeat this person. You can't let despair cloud your judgment. I can see it in your eyes, through all of that hatred, you loved Touko Fukawa, and you weren't able to tell her before she passed on." he said. The blond man grit his teeth and turned around, walking off, the picture tightly in his hands.

"I don't need your words nor your sympathy. We are not classmates and we are most certainly not friends." he snapped, walking out of the library. Seconds later, Makoto and Sayaka walked in, sparing a glance at the door where they had seen the Affluent Progeny.

"What happened? We heard shouting." Sayaka asked, her tone filled with worry.

"We found a picture. It was of Touko and Byakuya at some dance here in the academy. I guess they dated before we were trapped here, and he can't come to terms with it." he said.

"Another picture? Could it possibly tell us anything about why we are trapped here?" Makoto asked. Yuno shook his head, slipping his notebook into his pocket. He grabbed Chihiro's note, placing it in his shirt pocket. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he was glad no one took the note before he was able to track down the clue.

"Sorry Makoto, it seems as if that photo was just something to rile up Byakuya. Touko's death is still fresh for everyone, it was the first suicide we've had. He hates to admit it, but I think he was in love with her, even with her...brash personality." Yuno said. Sayaka instantly wrapped her arms around his, hugging it tightly. He kissed her forehead, reassuring her.

"Well, it's actually good that you two are here, I need help with something." he said.

"Oh and that is?" the Ultimate Lucky Student asked curiously.

"I cracked the note Chihiro gave me, but keep this one the down low, at least until I've investigated everything. I decided to start searching the school again from top to bottom. I don't know why, but for the last few days, I've been having these weird dreams. When, Mikan, Leon and Taeko are with us, in a secure place, I'll discuss it with you all in detail. For now let's head to the Boy's Locker Room." he said. The two nodded, and left the library.

xxx

Byakuya stepped into the bathroom on the second floor, closing the door behind him. He walked angrily into the last stall, slamming the door closed. He leaned against it, looking at the picture in his hands. He took a deep breath.

" _A Togami doesn't cry. Togami's are strong, their cunning...they only care about controlling the world, and shaping it in their image."_

If that was true, why was he crying now? The image of a rich prodigy he had built, it was breaking, all because of this picture? No...it was because of that woman, Touko Fukawa. He didn't know why, but the second he met her, he felt attracted to her even if she wasn't the ideal woman for him. She was rude, uncouth, smelly, and a serial killer, but under all that, he saw the redeeming qualities that had made her a world renowned author. He hated himself for seeing those qualities. He crumpled up the picture, tossing it onto the ground.

"Fuck! This goddamn school has brought me nothing but despair. It's brought us all to our knees, and yet we have nothing to go on. No rescue, no television to tell us what is going on? Why is my family taking so long? Surely they would want to rescue the next head of the family. If only Musashi we're here...she would know what to do." he said firmly.

His sister thought everything out clearly, she was calmer and saw all of the possibilities to a problem. If she was able to easily solve Einstein's theory of relativity at the age of five, surely she would have come up with a way to get them out of there, without resorting to the Architect's way of thinking. But she was merely an accountant...an Ultimate Accountant.

That's when he realized it...Musashi Togami had been part of the 79th class of Hope's Peak Academy. How could he have forgotten something so trivial. Yuno, Nick and Bryce were part of that class as well, yet they had never spoken of her once. If they were part of Class 79, surely they must have met at some point.

Something was wrong with this game. Very _very_ wrong...his memories cut off at the beginning of his school life, he remembered nothing other than waking up in the entrance hall with Mondo and Chihiro. Yet he felt like he knew the academy well, he didn't show it, but he had traversed the halls of Hope's Peak Academy more than once, he had never used his map, and instinctively knew where to go.

That meant he had been there at one point or another, most likely for orientation. No...even if that were the case, he shouldn't have been that familiar with the school. He sighed angrily, slamming his fist against the back wall.

It was all becoming a blur to him. The archer had been right, the game wasn't all smoke and mirrors. There was something the bear wasn't telling them, something that he had been alluding to. The executions were one thing he hadn't understood.

Sure, punishment was required for those who committed the heinous act, but was it truly necessary? Wouldn't imprisonment be enough? Then again, this school was already their prison, if their trapped in here, what other form of punishment was there than an execution?

He dug his hand in his pockets, lost in thought, when he felt the paper that had been inside. Instantly he reached for it, drawing it out in a single fluid motion.

It was a note, a note he had found in his room the day Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Touko Fukawa had died. It was a note, written by the author herself, her beautiful hand writing upon the paper wove a sad tale, about how she had been trapped in her own body by the evil that was Genocide Jack, and how she had tried to fight him for as long as she could.

" _It wasn't my fault. My hemophobia is a direct result of Him. Genocide Jack has been with me since I was a little girl, killing everyone that caught his fancy, until he practically made it into an art. The scissors, the crucifixion...Bloodbath Fever...it was all him. Coming to this academy was a big mistake. I should have just turned myself in, but it was the chance I needed to perfect my writing, something that had set me free of this horrible horror story. Byakuya Togami, the second I lay eyes on you was the second I fell in love._

 _I deemed that you would be my White Knight, who would help control the Evil Doer inside me, but alas it wasn't so. Taka's blood brought her out, and I could only sit back in the darkness of my mind, as my body was wretched out of my control. When I came too, and saw what I had done, I tried to cover it up, but it was useless. Rather than give the bear the satisfaction he wanted, I decided to take myself out, and take Genocide Jack with me, so that he wouldn't kill anyone else._

 _For that, I am sorry. My Handsome White Knight, stop being a reclusive asshole like me, it will only drive you deeper into despair. Share your knowledge with your friends, and help each other get out. We will meet again, in a distant and more peaceful time, that I assure you. When we do, we can have our fairytale ending."_

That had done it. It had opened the dam of emotion and had made him start to cry. He took his glasses off and just let his tears flow. He had never cried in his life, not even as a baby. His Butler, Aloysious Pennyworth had always told him to follow his heart, and by god...he should have listened to him. He grit his teeth, slamming his fist into the back wall again, making it jerk back. Surprised, he ended up falling through the wall, slamming hard into the ground.

"Goddamn it. This suit is expensive as all hell, can't that bear learn to make a concrete wall?" he snapped angrily.

He wiped his eyes free of tears, and placed his glasses back on, looking around the room. His eyes widened, seeing everything that was around him. It was a private room, filled with files, yearbooks, and the detailed history of Hope's Peak Academy. What was more shocking was the fact that a familiar purple haired girl was standing in the center of the room, reading one of the files from the top shelf. She was looking down at him, a curious look on her face.

"Well...isn't this a surprise." he said, a smirk on his face as he finally figured out where she disappeared to on a daily basis.

xxx

"Uh...why do we have to move this thing again?" Leon asked, looking up from the flower pot they were trying to move.

He and Taeko had run into Yuno, Makoto and Sayaka as they were coming down from the third floor. Mikan had also joined them, after having done a quick check of the Nurses office. The two of them had been curious, especially seeing Makoto and Yuno struggle to move the large potted plant that was in the locker room. Mikan, Sayaka and Taeko had waited outside, as to not be turned into Swiss Cheese by the mounted guns outside of the room. Yuno looked up, taking a deep breath.

"Because, Chihiro's note told me to come here. I have no idea how she was able to move this, but she did and we have to get what's underneath it." He said. He grunted, as Makoto and Leon pushed the pot.

"Must have been...quite the interesting story for the little guy." the baseball star said. The pot didn't move an inch, making them huff, tired from their overexertion.

"You're telling me. You sure that note said to come here?"

"Yes, I'm sure." he said.

"Can't be too sure now, seeing as you tore it to shreds." Leon mumbled.

"Sorry, she said to destroy it. I have made a copy of it but I'm not solving it unless I need to. Sides the answers is right here." he said, giving a final push on the pot. They were able to lift it up enough to reveal the platinum colored key. He quickly grabbed it, allowing the two to set the pot down.

"A key? All of that work for a key?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, a key to destiny." Yuno said, a grin on his face.

"Alright settle down. No need to bring Kingdom Hearts into this." Makoto said.

"Oh good, I thought I was the only one who caught the reference." Leon said with a chuckle, rubbing his neck. Yuno cleared his throat, making his voice as deep as he could.

"Kingdom Farts, lend me your power!" he said, Makoto and Leon burst into laughter, following the purple haired teenager out of the locker room.

"What could possibly be funny?" Taeko asked curiously. Yuno looked at her, a serious look on his face.

"I put the diamond in the coat."

"Um what?" she asked, Mikan having a similar look on her face.

"And I put the coat on her!" he exclaimed, pointing at Sayaka, further confusing the three.

"Are you sure you got the title Ultimate Archer? Because you could definitely pass as the Ultimate Actor." Makoto said. Yuno gave him a wink.

"Sorry bro, that title belongs to my little sister Kotoko. All jokes aside, I have to go find what Chihiro talked about in that note. Surely she came up with a solution to our current dilemma." he said firmly.

"You sure you don't want any of us to come with you? It could be dangerous." Sayaka said.

"I'm sure. Not until I confirm what it is...she wouldn't make something that would risk our lives, but for the sake of secrecy, I want to keep it to myself and myself alone." he said, gesturing to the camera. They all gave him a nod. They were about to leave when he cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"I...had another dream." he said firmly.

"A memory?" Sayaka asked, earning a nod from him.

"Yes, this one was very vivid, and I could tell that it was a real one. Sayaka, we've been dating far longer than a few weeks. I could go as far as saying we've been dating for months, a year maybe." he said, earning a curious look from the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

"That's impossible, we didn't meet until we arrived at this school." she said firmly.

"Are you certain though? Is it possible that we did meet in the past, and you just can't remember it?" he asked firmly.

"No...no...I know we haven't met before. I'm sorry sweetie, this is just all confusing." she said, shaking her head. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I don't blame you...if you can't remember that, then you won't remember this next part. Mikan, are you familiar with two girls, Sonia Nevermind and Hiyoko Saionji?" he asked firmly. The girl closed her eyes, humming to herself.

"Those names sound familiar...wait...yes I am...how could I forget this. Hiyoko used to bully me every day before classes. Sonia would always make sure I was alright...how could I forget my two precious friends!" she exclaimed.

"As I thought...something definitely is wrong here...it seems our School Life memories are all jumbled up. Some of us remember, others don't. That means that none of you will remember the Massacre of Class 76B, our Student Council...or the mass suicide of the Reserve Course students." he said.

"Massacre? Mass Suicide?" Taeko asked.

"You sure you aren't making that one up dude?" Leon asked curiously.

"Yes, it sounds far fetched...I think we would all remember something like that!" Makoto added.

"I...haven't gotten all the details down yet...but I am sure...something happened, something that caused Hope's Peak Academy to close its doors for good. I believe this is the key to that event."

"Wait...are you referring to that letter we found in the library?" Sayaka asked, earning a nod from Yuno.

"Indeed, Hope's Peak Academy was forced to shut down by the Steering Committee. I remember in that memory, one of the Reserve Course students tossed down a binder filled with pictures. Pictures of our deceased upperclassmen. They wanted to send a message to the board, who wrongfully used their money to make something. That's why they killed themselves." He said firmly.

"That sounds completely asinine...I can't wrap my mind around this...honestly I can't!" Taeko added, holding her head in her hands.

"It's alright, I felt the need to share this with you because you're all my best friends. Just keep an open mind, I'll let you know if I come across anything that can help me solve this."

 _Ding Dong Ding Dong_

All of them looked toward the nearby screen, a worried look on their faces. Monokuma came on, holding a daiquiri in his hand this time. He was leaning back in his seat, a smirk on his face.

"Well, it's good to see everyone is alive and well. After the last week, I decided to let you all recuperate, especially our injured little Gambler, but now that she is able to move freely and on her own, its time I gave you your reward. As of now, the Fourth Floor of Hope's Peak Academy is open for exploration. Furthermore, I have amended the rules. Now, the killer may only kill two people and two people only. The game wouldn't be fun if everyone was killed off. Have fun exploring, and if you find any interesting places, make sure to remember them, they might make excellent places to kill someone. _Upupupupupupupu_!"

With that, the screen went black. Yuno shared a look with his friends, giving each other a nod.

"Shall we check out the fourth floor? It might yield us with new answers?" Taeko said.

"Yes, are you sure you can handle it Taeko? With your injury?" Sayaka asked.

"I should ask you the same thing dear. Seeing as you still have that cast...I shall be fine. I survived getting _stabbed_ and _raped_ , exploring the fourth floor should be childsplay." she said.

"You...are taking this all in stride...it's admirable, Taeko." Makoto said.

"One must adapt dear. Trust me, getting raped isn't a walk in the park, but it's all in the past and I have no time to worry about it. Why don't you all head on before me? I shall catch up." she said.

Yuno gave her a nod, pulling Sayaka along with him. He knew she wanted to be alone. Mikan and Makoto seemed to get the message as well, following right after them. Leon however stood his ground, looking at Taeko, who was just smiling at him. Once his friends were out of earshot, he spoke.

"You aren't handling this well. Stop acting like the Queen of Liars, talk to us about this...because we are here for you." he said.

"Whatever do you mean Leon? I am...perfect...ly...fine." she said, her voice cracking.

She grit her teeth, trying to hold back a sob, until she finally broke down, almost falling to her knees, if it wasn't for Leon who caught her in time. He hugged her tightly, but not tight enough to aggravate her injury.

"It's alright Taeko. You aren't alone in this, I can't possibly imagine what it was like to experience something that vile and horrible. But it isn't your fault...it was Bryce who initiated this, and he is the one who will pay." He said firmly.

"No...Leon don't...do anything stupid." she said through her sobs.

He took a hold of her chin, making her look into his eyes. He wiped away her tears with his sleeve, a small smile on his face.

"I won't do anything stupid, eventually _he_ will make a mistake and we will all be there for this downfall. For now, I'll protect you, so that no one can defile you ever again." he said.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"It isn't a promise Taeko...it's a commitment. A commitment that I will uphold with my very life if needbe." he said, and with that he leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss.

She was taken aback, unable to react, but her emotions got the better of her, and she gave in, kissing him back. It felt natural, it felt surreal, and for that moment in time, she wasn't Celestia Ludenburg, she wasn't stuck in Hope's Peak Academy, and she wasn't alone.

xxx

Junko let out a surprised giggle, seeing the Baseball Star and the Gambler kissing was endearingly sweet. Of course, as soon as she saw them together, she started imagining the despair that would flow through them is either died a horrible tragic death. The best kind of despair is the one brought on as the direct result of losing a soul mate. She couldn't think of that however, as her eyes moved toward the panel displaying the live feed from the fourth floor stairwell. She rolled her chair toward the panel, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I might as well allow them to enjoy their reward. They worked hard on it. Hello, what is this?" she asked herself, as she zoomed in on the feed coming from the Second Floor hallway.

She saw Byakuya Togami and Kyoko Kirigiri walking out of the Boys Bathroom. Together! Those two never worked together, so that could only mean that the Affluent Progeny found the secret room. Oh that was rich. Very very delicious. She giggled to herself, spinning in her chair, her precious Monokuma in her hands.

"Well, it seems those two weaseled their little mitts into the oven. They aren't going to find anything worthwhile in there, after all everything they want is safely locked away in the Headmaster's Office, and they don't have the key to that door. Yuno is figuring everything out as well, this is getting better and better with time! It's a good thing I had the electronic lock installed onto this door, or else I would be toast. Oh well, might as well let them enjoy it for as long as I allow them too." she said, pulling out a Monokuma themed key.

She slipped it into the keyslot into the control panel and turned it, instantly, the gate control panel flashed to life, displaying the controls for each and every floor blocked with a gate. Her finger hovered over the one for the Fourth Floor.

"To think, all of this started with Bryce planning murder. I gave you the best seat in the house and still you got yourself hurt. I should have just wiped your memory like the rest of them, alas, it's too late now. While everyone is busy exploring the fourth floor, I have to prepare the Gymnasium for a very special Welcome Ceremony!" she said cheerfully, pressing the button.

The screeching sound of the gates opening filled her with joy, joy that she was soon to turn to despair. Her eyes flashed to the other side of the room, where her sleeping sister lay. No...she wasn't her sister, not anymore. As of now, she was Ryouko Otonashi, the Ultimate Analyst and New Student of Hope's Peak Academy.

 _ **Surviving Students: 13**_


	20. Chapter 4 Act 2: Hopeful Situations

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. I hope you've all had a good weekend and are enjoying this day off, for those of you that got school tomorrow, well my prayers go out to you. All I can say is hang in there, Summer will be back soon enough. I remember when I was still in school, I hated waking up on the first day, but I had to admit it was pretty fun, going back on it, I really miss being in school, but I digress.**

 **This chapter will start to get the ball rolling, we're not that far from the end, and the best despair is the one that's saved for last. Yuno is starting to piece together his memory and finding out more and more about the academy, but these memories will be more than a hindrance to him than a boon, as he will be dealing with a lot of stuff tied to these memories, things that he isn't certain happened or not.**

 **If you are keeping up with the End of Hope's Peak Academy, then you should all know that there is a new chapter for that one in the works. I just wanted to finish and get this new chapter up before writing a new chapter for this story. Working on two things at once is a little hard, but I take it a step at a time. I'm also getting a lot of good ideas for the prologue of this story, and I hope you'll all enjoy it. For now, I hope you are all content with this new chapter. Have a good holiday everyone!**

 **Update: 6/29/17 Act 2 of Chapter 4 has been updated and re uploaded. It contains various grammar fixes as well as continuity fixes and added content.**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 4

Act 2

Hopeful Situations

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

The Fourth Floor had finally opened up for exploration, but their hopes to find a means of escape had ended in the same way their previous explorations had gone. Arriving in the main hall, the first thing that Yuno noticed on the map was the Bathrooms, which were directly to his left. Beyond that, was the hallway that lead to the Music hall. Going straight, you would be lead to the hallway that held the Headmaster's Office as well as the Faculty Office. The other side of the floor containing the Chemistry Lab, as well as Classrooms 4-A and 4-B. The final point of interest for this floor had been the Data Processing Room, something that he didn't quite understand as of yet.

Hina and Nick had gone to explore the Chemistry Lab, since the swimmer had theorized that there could be Protein powder and health blends there, leaving the quiet Sakura to keep an eye on Bryce, who wasn't at all interested in exploring the new floor. It was something odd, but he said he would check it out on his own time, when he wasn't being guarded by the Ogre.

Makoto had gone off on his own, wanting to explore the classrooms, and that left Sayaka and Yuno to explore the Music Hall, which she had been excited to see.

It was quiet, save for the camera moving with them as they headed into the Music hall. It was huge, with a very high ceiling and an ornate chandelier hanging over the hard wood floor. Wooden benches were arranged all over the room, facing the stage, where a beautiful Grand Piano was positioned. All of the windows had been sealed off, but Yuno imagined how amazing it would look during the day time.

On stage was a microphone stand, hooked up to an Amplifier, which was in turn hooked up the large speakers all around the room. The stage also held several instruments, a Drum set, Bass Guitar and an Electric Keyboard, to name a few. Several classical instruments were off to the side of the room, all neatly placed near the window. Sayaka had been ecstatic, and had raced off toward the stage.

Yuno however just slowly made his way to it, looking around at every single detail of the room.

"Isn't this amazing Yuno? I'll be able to sing again, I can give you that private concert you were begging me for a few days ago." she said, making her way onto the stage.

It had been a long time since she had been that happy, seeing musical instruments made her calm, and it also kept her mind off their current situation. Yuno didn't reply, still to lost in thought to even pay attention. He looked to the other side of the room, eyes widening a bit.

Near the musical instruments, he could see two people, talking quietly to themselves. One of them he recognized from his dream, the Ultimate Story Teller, but he didn't recognize the girl at all. He had to admit, she was very beautiful, dressed in a long pink floral kimono, with a lavender obi, tied into a perfect bow behind her back. Her small feet were barely visible, but he would see the edges of her wooden sandals. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, which seemed to naturally curve to the right. She was holding one of his hands in her own, as he was quietly telling her something, which had apparently made her laugh.

"Yuno...is something wrong?" Sayaka asked, looking at her boyfriend with a worried expression. His eyes had glazed over, and he wouldn't stop staring at the wall. She didn't see anything, but it was clear that he did.

" _I'm sure they will love that story Daisuke. You worked hard on it, and Ibuki will be handling the music. Besides, a story based around Paris would be great, the city of love and lights!"_

" _Hiyoko, are you sure they'll love it? I mean, it isn't anything new, just a rehashing of The Hunchback of Notre Dame."_ he said. _  
_

 _"Daisuke Del Rio, need I remind you who you are again? Don't make me bop you!"_ the girl cried angrily. Daisuke chuckled, holding his hands up defensively.

" _You don't need to do that. But it's true...I haven't really done anything at all to change it."_

" _Yes you have. You took a dark Disney story and gave it your own twist..you not only turned it into a play, but you also gave it a Hardcore Rock/Metal vibe, with the low lighting and the costumes Erika is making, this will be a success. Hell, Musashi thinks it will bring the school a lot of money, and she's the Ultimate Accountant! You have to take that at more than face value."_

" _Hmm...you are right Hiyoko. I think I should listen to you and Sonia more often. Thanks for reassuring me, I seriously needed it."_ he said, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

" _Come on you guys, stop making out already. We gotta head out!"_

Daisuke and Hiyoko pulled away, glaring directly at Yuno. Hiyoko had pout on her lips, her cheeks were tinged slightly red.

" _Don't make me bop you, Mister I can't keep my hands off my Girlfriend!"_

" _Seriously you guys, we need to go. Ibuki is getting ready and we can't be late!"_

"Yuno!"

The archer jerked out of his daydream, and turned to look at Sayaka, who was staring at him in worry. He gave her a smile.

"Something wrong sweetie?" he asked.

"You stood there staring at the wall for ten minutes. You wouldn't say anything...are you alright? Do you want me to get Mikan to look you over?" she asked. He shook his head, taking out his notebook.

"I'm alright sweetie. Nothing's wrong with me, I just have to write something down real quick." he said, flipping to a blank page. He uncapped the glittering pink fountain pen and started writing the dream he had just had down inside.

"Sparkly pink? Honestly Yuno that is a color that only girls use. What drove you to pick that over the other colors in the school store?" Sayaka asked, she was trying to read what he was writing, but he just moved his hand over it.

"I don't know...something subconsciously told me to grab it. Say, are you familiar with a girl named Hiyoko Saionji?" he asked curiously. Her eyes lit up, giving him a firm nod. She had been thinking about that girl ever since he mentioned her earlier.

"Of course I am. Hiyoko Saionji is a famous Traditional Dancer. Her family owns a large dance studio here in Tokyo and they train new generations of dancers and Geisha. They even teach older folks how to dance, in case they want to learn something new. That along was what got her the title of Ultimate Traditional Dancer." she said. Her eyes lit up, realizing what she had just said.

"How the hell?"

"Going by what you just said, this girl is famous enough to warrant entree into this academy. She was in Class 77, Mikan's class and yet she isn't here with us. She's our upperclassmen, yours by a year and mine by two." he said.

"Mikan did remember her, but that doesn't exactly tell us where she is." Sayaka said aloud. He shrugged, dotting the final letters on the paragraph he had just written. He slipped the pen cap back on his pen and closed the notebook, making sure it was locked, before slipping it into his pocket.

"I don't know about that, but it goes along with the theory of this place, the one that I've been working on since day one." he said, looking back at the stage.

Call it compulsion, but he felt like going up there. He calmly walked toward the wooden steps, making his way onto the stage.

"Are you sure you are alright? You've been acting...differently lately." she said, he looked at her oddly, tilting his head in confusion.

"Different? Different how?" he asked.

"Um...well you're acting a little more like Kyoko. Ever since the last trial actually...whenever you weren't with Taeko, you were searching the First Floor for clues, going as far as looking inside the desks and reviewing all of the materials that were inside." she said.

"I have? Sorry, I'm just trying to get us out of here...that last trial...I think it drove my desire to leave into high gear. Sometimes I look around the empty hallways, and I swear I see people, all of them are faceless to me, but at times I see people with faces and I get a nostalgic feeling in my heart. Looking at you, there's a feeling of longing, but I don't know why. Then there's those dreams...the ones where I see things that happened in this academy, I hear a voice but it isn't mine and just now...I was watching a conversation between two students, that voice started teasing them and they looked at me. I swear to Christ they looked at me." he said.

"I don't care what you say Yuno. You need help, please please please let Mikan look you over? It will make me feel better." She said. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"I will, after I take a look at the other places of interest here. Would you like to check out the classrooms next?" he asked.

"Aren't you gonna head into the Headmaster's office?" she asked, brow raised. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Why visit that place this early? That's my coup de gras for this floor, so I'll leave it for last." he said, jumping down from the stage landing with a loud thump. Sayaka shook her head, turning around and flicking her hair behind her head.

"Fine, but after you get checked, you will come with me for that private concert." she said, giving him a wink.

Makoto yawned, rubbing his neck a bit. He had been looking around the classrooms for awhile, not finding anything. He had met up with Mikan a few minutes before starting his search but other than a shy hello she didn't say anything to him. He realized that the last time they were together, was when they found that camera and she gave him that kiss. He grabbed one of the textbooks that had been neatly stacked on a desk on the far side of the room, opening the cover. Instead of reading it however, he spared a glance at the nurse.

She had grown a bit taller over the time that they had met, it wasn't noticeable unless you were paying a lot of attention, something that he did. He liked to memorize his friends habits and quirks, so he could get to know them fully. Her nervousness and stuttering seem to have left her as she was now calmer and thought clearly, perhaps a change driven into her by the situation.

She had changed out of her old nurse outfit, donning one of the ones that she had found in the Nurses office, which was pure white in color, as opposed to her own, which was more school appropriate than anything. The shirt was placed over her skirt, which was a few inches shorter than the mid thigh, something that wouldn't pass in a real hospital, and he wasn't sure if it even passed in the school, but it was there and she was wearing it.

She still had her right leg tightly bandaged, as to not show people her scar, and she had a square shaped bandage on her knee, covering that scar as well. She was wearing, short white socks, and a pair of matching white shoes as opposed to her sneakers. She was also wearing her apron, which had the red cross symbol on it. Her hair had been brushed thoroughly, though it was still mismatched.

She was also wearing a small nurse's cap atop her head, which also had the red cross on it. She had her back to him, looking at the bookshelf next to the chalkboard, humming to herself. He swallowed hard, trying not to focus on her shapely rump. He turned his eyes back to his book, taking a deep breath.

" _Okay, focus on the search, not on how cute Mikan looks in that outfit...no...bad thoughts!"_ He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He looked down a the book, brow furrowed.

"What he hell?" he muttered, looking at the cover of the book.

The name Sonia Nevermind was written on it, in bright pink ink. He also noticed how neat it was, it had been a while since he had seen Kanji that well written. The girl had even gone as far as writing her name with the English format, and her signature. Either she was really proud of her writing, or she was just bored. Someone had also written _The_ _Weasel_ in it as well, and he had to wonder who it was that wrote that particular thing.

"Something wrong Makoto?" Mikan asked, peering over his shoulder. He jerked forward, knocking all of the books to the floor. He turned around, looking at her in the eyes.

"M-Mikan...don't do that. You scared me." he said, clutching his chest. She giggled, taking a step back from him.

"I'm sorry Makoto. You've been acting a little odd since I walked into the room, I'm just making sure nothing is wrong." she said.

"Oh uh...thank you for worrying. I'm fine, great actually...hehe!" he said, looking away from her, rubbing his neck. She nodded, and crouched down to grab a couple of books, letting him see a bit of her cleavage.

" _Jeez those are huge!"_

She looked up at him, eyes widened. She instantly covered herself up with the books she had picked up. A look of horror washed over his face.

"Crap, I said that out loud didn't I?"

She gave him a nod, slowly standing up. He brushed past her, heading toward the door, only for her to catch his wrist, pulling him to a stop.

"We need to talk. You've been acting strange all this time, since the Fourth Floor opened up. Is something wrong?"

"Like I said before, nothing is wrong." he said.

"Makoto Naegi, you shouldn't lie to a nurse." she said sternly.

"There is nothing wrong, honest!" he said, looking into her eyes.

Her face was blank, lacking all emotion. Her violet eyes were focused on his own light green ones, boring into his soul. He tore his eyes away from her, shivering a bit.

"Alright, I've been nervous because the last time we were alone you kissed me. I've been wondering this entire time if you like me or not. I know this isn't the right time or anything, but Yuno and Sayaka are handling it well. I just wanted to try it with you but...I dunno." he said, taking a breath afterward. Mikan's lips were pressed into a thin line. She looked away from him, a vibrant blush on her face.

"You...like me? No ones ever liked me before." she said.

"Of course I like you, what isn't there to like? You are sweet, kind and you have saved two of our friends lives already. Out of everyone here you've changed the most, for the better. You used to be a shy stuttering mess, but ever since you opened up to us...you've been acting differently...and I honestly find that one of your best qualities." he said, a smile on his face.

Mikan set the books down, and wrapped her arms around the brown haired boy. She buried her face into his hoodie, soft cries escaping her lips. He pulled her closer to himself, soothing her a bit.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"B-because y-you s-said you l-like me." she whined, though it was a bit muffled. He pulled her away from himself, looking into her eyes.

"Don't cry. Pretty girls like you shouldn't cry." he said, wiping her tears away with his sleeve. She hiccuped, drying her chin off with her bandages.

"Okay...I won't cry anymore!" she said firmly, making him chuckle.

"That's right...we'll work together to get out of here Mikan, and when we do and everything is over, we'll be able to go our and do normal sappy couple things. I can introduce you to my parents, and my sister...I just know my mother will adore you." he said.

"Really? You want me to meet your family?" she asked.

"Yup...well I'll have to find them first, you know my DVD showed our living room, and they were all gone, but I'm sure that's something Monokuma is doing to make us lose hope, and we can't let him do that." he said. She nodded eagerly.

"I hope they like me...my own parents don't even like me. Not a lot of people like me actually, but at least you do and you've made me super happy."

"Great...that's the Mikan I want to see...not the sad cryi..." he was cut off, as the Ultimate Nurse pressed her lips against his own, making him go wide eyed. She wrapped her arms around his smaller frame, pulling him closer to herself.

Yuno and Sayaka turned around, eyes wide at what they had seen.

"Maybe we should check out the other classroom." he said, leading her toward Classroom 4-B. Sayaka looked over her shoulder, a small smile on her face.

"You have to admit, that was totally cute. I am loving that new Nurse outfit Mikan is wearing, it really makes her talent stand out more." she said.

"I didn't think she would glomp him like that though. That girl was practically eating him. Makoto surely can swoon the ladies when he wants too." Yuno said, opening the door to the other classroom, only to see Leon and Taeko on the teacher's desk, in a full blown make out session.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on? Is it Valentine's day or something?" he snapped, pulling the two from their heated make out session.

"Gah...Yuno...Sayaka...what's up?" he asked nervously.

"Oh nothing much, just witnessing four of our friends falling in love." Sayaka said, eyes glittering.

"Four?" Taeko muttered.

"Check out all of these Protein supplements. Sakura is definitely going to love these. She was talking about loosing muscle mass so these will surely help." Hina said, her face pressed against the glass looking at all of the bottles safely inside.

Nick looked back, rolling his eyes, the Ultimate Swimmer had been ogling those bottles for the last five minutes, constantly talking about how beneficial they were, though he was more focused on the room itself.

The Chemistry room was just as he expected it to be. Large and filled with very expensive materials. Every station had several test tubes on top of it, along with a hot pad and a sink. Wooden stools had been placed at every station, and at the front of the room was the Teacher's desk, with a White board instead of a chalkboard. The markers were all placed in a pocket next to the board, along with the erasers.

The large windows had been sealed off, as he had expected. There was also a shower on the other side of the room, with a large shower head and glass walls, most likely the Detox station that students would use when they got harmful chemicals on themselves. He walked back to where Hina was standing, looking at the cabinets.

"Don't you think it's a little weird that they would put supplements next to poison?" he asked.

"It is Chem lab, of course they would have these together. Hmm...we should tell people to be careful if they go to use any of this stuff. Should we label them?" she asked.

"That's a good idea. I'll go look for some tape." he said, moving to the front of the lab, where the Teacher's desk was.

Hina turned back to look at the supplements. She started feeling a little hot, and looked at the windows, wishing that they weren't sealed off. She reached for her hair, and undid her ponytail, letting it fall down a bit before fixing it, instead of leaving it in an upward ponytail, she let it fall down, though it still curved upward a bit. She also decided to shed her jacket, tying it around her waist.

"I didn't find any tape, but I did find paper. These markers should do, at least until we can head into the Art room and find some tape." he said, handing Hina the blue marker, keeping the red one for himself.

"I...don't want to go in there. Not after what happened." she said.

"I feel you. I've been avoiding that room like the Plague since it happened, but we can't keep doing that forever. We have to accept what happened and move on, or else we'll be dragged down by it." He said.

"That's a mature way of looking at things Nick." she said, looking at the baker. He had been busy writing the word Poison on it, though it looked more like chicken scratch than anything. He frowned.

"If you say so. I'm just looking at it realistically." he said.

"Do you think Jason Statham likes donuts?" she asked randomly, looking into his eyes. He looked at her, taken a back before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Hina, don't ever change."

"Hehe, I don't plan on it." she said, giving him a little wink.

 _ **xxx**_

Even though she was filled with worry, she didn't dare drop the stoic look on her face. It was one of the things that Kyoko was proud about, and one of the things that scared her the most. She wanted to know why it was that she could take everything in stride.

Three murders, three executions, one suicide and a messed up situation. She had let go of her emotions at times, but she was still in control of them. So when Byakuya had stumbled into the secret room in the Boy's Bathroom, she had gotten really worried.

The two of them agreed to keep it quiet for the time being, but he had been adamant about checking the room out during his own time. Both of them were convinced that the mastermind didn't know about it, seeing as there was no security camera in there. It was dark, but even with the darkness of the room, Kyoko was still read over the documents inside.

Registries, Yearbooks, Building plans, anything and everything detailing Hope's Peak Academy was there, and yet it felt to easy...way to easy. Even with all of that information, it was very limited, in fact it was limited to everyone that was within the academy since day one. Their registries and profile information was all there, but all of the dates had been cut off, throwing off her initial search of the documents.

The year book also only had the pictures of her classmates on there, as every other class photo had been carefully cut out. She figured the mastermind must have done that, further throwing off her investigation, something was going on and they didn't want her to know about it.

The most interesting thing however was a file labeled the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, detailing the deaths of thirteen people, all of them being part of the student council. It went into detail about how all of them had been killed, but none of the names were listed, it also spoke about them being part of Class 76B, meaning that her initial suspicions about the academy teaching more than three classes was correct.

Of course, the oddest thing about everything she had found was Yuno's profile and registry. All of his information seemed a little off, his talent had been whited out, with a new title written over it. It was too deeply written for her to remove the white out and the ink as well. Some details about how he had been scouted didn't correlate with what he had said, it also made no mention about him being scouted by the Olympics committee to be part of their Archery team.

Even more surprising, it seemed as if his picture had been glued into that registry and they had used so much glue that she couldn't remove it without tearing the paper. It was something that she had removed from the room, and kept it safely guarded with her, so she could do her own investigation, and now that the Chemistry lab was open, she could easily get some solvents to get rid of the glue. She would also have to be careful with Byakuya, as he could blurt out his discovery of the small room at any time, and she didn't want that happening before she was done revising everything.

On top of it all, she was getting fragmented pieces of her memory back, day by day. She wasn't any closer to figuring out why they were in the academy, but she was closer to finding out what her talent was and how she was scouted into the academy, for now it was a small victory.

She stopped in front of the Data Processing Room, a frown on her face. She tried opening the door, but found it was locked. She hadn't found a key anywhere on this floor, and the only other door that had been locked was the one to the Headmaster's office. A small sigh escaped her lips.

"Hi Kyoko, did you find anything in there?" Yuno asked, catching her attention. She looked at him, shaking her head.

"It seems our dear friend doesn't want us to go into this room yet. It's locked and there isn't a key anywhere to match this lock." she said. Sayaka groaned, running her fingers through her hair.

"It's the same with the Headmaster's office. Byakuya tried forcing it open, but Monokuma just added another rule, no breaking doors. We're convinced there is something in there that will tell us why we are here." She said.

"That does make sense. It might be the game changer we need to find out the truth behind this academy." She said, muttering the last part. Yuno narrowed his eyes, turning to his girlfriend.

"Why don't you meet up with Makoto and the others, there are still a few things I have to do before we meet up in the cafeteria." he said.

"You sure?" she asked, earning a nod from him. She gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Remember to talk to Mikan okay? I'll see you later, bye Kyoko." she said, giving the purple haired girl a small wave before disappearing down the hall. Yuno waited for a few seconds, glancing at the camera behind them.

"We need to talk. Not here." he said.

She gave him a nod, gesturing for him to follow. He walked quietly behind her, hands in his pockets, running his fingers over Chihiro's room key. He had been debating on checking out Chihiro's room alone, but he quickly realized how dangerous that would actually be, especially with Bryce being around. He didn't doubt Sakura, but even she couldn't watch him all the time. They made it to the stairwell, looking around for a few seconds before she gave him the go ahead.

"Do you remember the note Chihiro gave me?" he asked, earning a nod from her. He took it out of his pocket, handing it to her. She read it over a few times, narrowing her eyes a bit in thought before looking up from it.

"Did you find the key already?" she asked. He took it out of his pocket, holding it in his hand.

"I was going to tell my friends to come with me, or wait until everyone was asleep, but I didn't want to risk someone like Bryce finding out about this. I trust my friends, but this is something that I have to check on my own first. Since you and I have this weird investigative relationship, I figured we could check it out before them." he said.

"I suppose that's alright. If you want we can go check it out now." she said.

"Come on then." he said, slowly heading down the stairs to the third floor.

They walked across it, ignoring the Art Room as they passed it, they saw Sakura standing outside of it, meaning Bryce was in there. The wrestler gave them a nod and the continued heading down the stairs.

"Yuno, I have to tell you something...well it's something I have to show you. It's rather interesting." Kyoko said, as they walked down the stairs to the second floor.

"Is it something serious?" he asked.

"How are your memories doing? Are they coming back steadily? Or in fragments?" she asked, changing the topic. He pursed his lips, not knowing really how to answer.

"Well...it depends on the memory. I've been getting a lot of school related memories as of late, and all of them are rather whole, major events. The weird thing is, there are some things that I see, and I feel like I was there, but my name isn't mentioned at all. I can see other students walking around these halls at times. There was a couple dreams that riled me up though." he said, almost wanting to reach for his journal.

They walked across the second floor, passing by Nick and Hina, who were talking quietly among themselves. The swimmer gave them a wave, before returning to their conversation.

"Care to explain?" she asked, a small curious look on her face, though she didn't make it obvious.

"I was in a classroom, with my little sister Kotoko. Apparently, she was playing with Taeko and she let her win. We were talking about some weird stuff, and I swore I saw the moment when these metal plates were being put up. She also asked me why they killed our mother...so I guess my mom was murdered by someone...I don't remember much of that one. The second dream I had was about some Reserve Course students jumping from the academy roof to their deaths." he said. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Reserve Course students? How many of them?" she asked.

"267, all of them jumped off the roof. I think you were there." he said.

"I was...I just recalled that a few hours ago, when I was reading some documents on this." she said.

"Documents? Where did you find those?" he asked curiously.

"There's a place, in the boy's bathroom on the second floor, check out at your own time, you'll find plenty of information there, but keep it a secret." she said, earning a nod from him.

"Don't worry about it. I'll most likely check it out on my own time. The Fourth Floor still has it's secrets hidden from me, so I will be investigating it as much as I can. However, that also opens up the possibility for Bryce to do something. I've noticed he's been acting a little...strange...this week. He still talks crap, but it's gotten crueler, and he keeps talking about despair. Just two days ago, I noticed his eyes had turned crimson." he said.

"I've been noticing this as well. He's become unstable and a threat to all of us in this academy. I believe he's on the verge of falling into despair, and if he does fall, he will become more ruthless and more dangerous. It's good that Sakura is keeping an eye on him, but I fear even she won't be able to handle him if it gets out of hand." Kyoko said.

"I suppose that's something we'll have to deal with as the days come." he said.

The two of them stopped for a few seconds, feeling the building around them jerk a bit. They shared a look before running toward one of the plated windows. Kyoko placed her ear against it, steadying her breathing, but she couldn't hear anything. Yuno closed his eyes to focus a bit more, hearing the faint sounds of explosions, and gunshots.

"It sounds like an Anti-Tank rifle." Kyoko said, after a minute of silence.

"Do you think someone finally realized that we're trapped here and they're trying to mount a rescue?" he asked.

"Most likely, however if these plates have held on after several shots from a powerful firearm like that, than it's going to take a lot more to get us free. Knowing that there is someone outside is useless to us, at least at this moment in time, I would advice you to keep this to yourself, lest we give the others a pretense of false hope." She said.

He nodded, backing away from the wall, heading toward the Despair hotel. He spared a look back at the plated window, a frown on his face.

"Even if there is someone on the outside, I don't think I have anyone waiting for me. I however still have to find my little sister, I can't just...sit here anymore." he said.

"I understand that. I have to find my father, and my little brother now that I know he exists, he may have some answers on our situation." she said.

"You think so?"

She gave him a nod, remaining silent after that. Finally reaching the dorms, they looked around for a few seconds finding themselves completely alone. Yuno slipped the key into the knob and turned it, stepping into Chihiro's room for the first time. He noticed all of the programming books stacked neatly on the side of the room atop the desk.

The bed was neatly made and there wasn't a single speck of dust in sight. He noticed a few devices on the other desk in the room, and figured Chihiro had brought some stuff from home to tinker with while at the academy. Kyoko closed the door, looking around.

"So, where do we start?" she asked quietly. He hummed to himself, stroking his chin in thought. He looked at the camera, which wasn't facing in his direction yet, before looking at Kyoko, an idea working it's way into his mind.

"Take off your blazer." he said.

"Excuse me?" she asked curiously. He rolled his eyes.

"The rules state that we can't destroy the surveillance cameras around the school, but it says nothing about obstructing it's line of sight."

She blinked a few times, letting the information sink into her brain. Shaking her head, she reached for the front of her blazer, undoing the glossy buttons holding it together. She was surprised about not thinking about that herself. He had taken off his own jacket, walking over to the camera, before it started to move, he tossed the article of clothing over it, still seeing the red dot.

Kyoko handed him her blazer, which he placed over it, hoping to not only block the lens but also the microphone. He turned back to the purple haired girl, seeing her without her blazer for the first time. He had to admit, she looked good without it. He tried not making it to obvious, looking directly at the bed.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"No no...you just...look good without that blazer on. Not so formal...yeah." he said, taking a few steps toward it. She scoffed, placing a few strands of hair behind her head.

"Aren't you the charmer? Do you do this to every girl you meet? It seemed to work with Sayaka."

"No...not every girl. There are some that don't start fawning over me the second I look at them." he said with a wink.

He started pulling the covers off the mattress, looking inside for the spare note. Kyoko had grabbed one of the pillows, looking at it closely. Not finding anything, the continued looking through the bedspread, finally being greeted with a bare mattress.

"Must be underneath it." he muttered.

Giving him a nod, Kyoko grabbed one end of it, while he grabbed the other. They easily flipped it over, being greeted with another note. He grabbed it, setting the mattress down right after.

"More binary. It'll take me a few minutes to crack this code." he muttered.

"I suppose I'll start making the bed again, won't be long until our little buddy realizes we found a loop hole to his rules." she said, grabbing the sheets that were on the ground.

He sat down at the desk, grabbing a spare sheet of paper and a pen. Yuno would spare a few glances at the purple haired girl every now and again, that feeling of familiarity still in his heart. His head started to hurt after a few seconds, so he decided to continue working on deciphering the note. It wasn't long before Kyoko finished with the bed, and took a seat on it, loosing herself in thought.

"Yuno, would you mind answering a few questions for me? It's about what's on your profile." she said, making him look up at her.

She had her eHandbook in her hand, the page already open. He remembered that those updated whenever something new was shared between two people. Yuno and his friends had practically gotten access to their full profiles from all the time they spent together.

"Sure, I suppose that's fine. What do you want to know?" he asked.

"When you were scouted by Hope's Peak Academy, what exactly were you doing at the time?" she asked. He stopped looking at the note for a second, losing himself in thought.

"I...honestly can't recall that. I think I was at an archery competition, a national one. I think it was the one where I was asked to join the Olympic Archery team." he said.

"Alright, when exactly did you start taking archery as a sport?"

"I was around nine I think, when I held my first bow. My grandfather was the one that started teaching me. I don't recall anything other than that, sorry." he said.

"It's alright. One last thing, do you have a second talent? Something that the academy didn't know about?"

"I'm sorry? I don't think I follow." he said, looking at her curiously.

"I've been paying close attention to you ever since we found my brother's name written on that stall door. You've been acting differently, it was subtle at first, but with that last case, I saw it. You have a second talent, but I can't discern what it is right now, though I am willing to believe that you are a Detective." she said.

"A detective? Me? I'm sorry, but Investigating isn't an art for me. I just use logic when I look around for stuff. It's a process of elimination, and a lot of trial and error." he said.

"Putting up an investigation in an elevator after looking at a crime scene once is definitely not trial and error. Yuno, we wouldn't have solved half of that case if it wasn't for the things that you pointed out. From looking at Celeste's attempt at murder just once, you went as far as asking for the results of her rape kit, for a possible DNA sample, most people don't even know what those even are. Think about it a bit more would you?" she asked. He gave her a nod, turning back to the note.

She did raise a good point, he was able to put together an investigation with nothing more than a Monokuma file, and the stuff he was able to pick out from that one glance. Not just that, he had also solved Junko's murder, the same with Taka and Touko's.

Of course he had more help on those last two, but he still put it all together in his mind before sharing it. Perhaps Kyoko was right, and he had a second talent, if that's so then why didn't the academy scout him for it? Or mention it? It would have been on his profile, that was for sure. He shook his head, finishing up the note. It wasn't a terribly long one, just a location.

"It seems this note is telling us to go to the Bathhouse Locker room. I wonder what for?" he muttered.

"I suppose we'll have to check it out." the girl said.

"Before we go, I have one thing to discuss with you. You read about the Student Council massacre correct?" he asked.

"There wasn't much information, none of the students were named. But there was a witness report saying that it was based on some book. A book that used motives to pit friends against each other." she replied.

"A mutual killing game...that book sounds familiar, perhaps the library contains it. I'm getting off topic...what I want to know is, do you believe that was the reason why Hope's Peak Academy was shut down? Or do you think the Reserve Course suicides were it?" he asked curiously.

Kyoko remained silent, possibly pondering the question. It was one that she had been asking herself for quite awhile. She pulled out her own leather bound notebook, and started looking through her notes. It was full of various things, points of interest, theories, even the results of every investigation so far.

"I am not sure, but I did read about the Reserve Course suicide. Apparently, it was caused by the aftermath of the Student Council Massacre. I believe the Steering Committee was trying to hide it, they found out, and sent a message to the world in a rather morbid way." She said.

"Hmm...I believe that. Hope's Peak Academy is run by the government. If something like that were to happen, it wouldn't only stain its name, it would also be enough for the government to stop funding it. One of those kids was shouting something about the Tuition fees being used to create something, but I don't remember what." he said.

"No information I found detailed this. Everything regarding the Reserve Course was completely erased...it seems like that school holds most of our answers...however with how things are, I doubt we'll be able to explore it." She said, rubbing her chin in thought.

"We should go, before someone wonders where we are. We still have to check the bathhouse." He replied.

He stood up, placing the note in his pocket. He grabbed Kyoko's blazer, along with his hoodie, and hastily placed them on, exiting the room before the camera got a good look at them. Yuno spared a look at the girl, as they walked toward the bath house, he eyed the butterfly clip that she wore on her braid, and couldn't help but reach for it, causing her to stop. He looked at it closely, that sense of familiarity washing over him again. He looked into her eyes, lips pressing into a thin line.

"Who gave you this?" he asked.

"I believe it was my brother, why?" she asked.

"No reason it just...looks familiar I guess. I'm sorry." he said.

"Perhaps the reason why it looks familiar is because we have met in the past. You and I witnessed those Reserve Course students killing themselves, even if we only remember that, both of us were there, meaning we must have been close to each other at the time." She said.

"Logically speaking, that does make sense." he said.

"Although I don't think we dated, if that's what you are coming across." she said, earning a scoff from the boy.

"Sorry, I wasn't even thinking that. You're way to mysterious for my tastes, I bet I couldn't hide shit from you anyway." he said, chuckling a bit. She laughed as well, as surprising as that was.

Before they walked into the bathhouse however, they stopped, that dreadful announcement jingle filling their ears. Their eyes shifted to the nearby screen, seeing the Monochrome bear, who had a smirk on it's robotic features.

" _Ahem, This is a School Wide announcement. How are you all enjoying the Fourth Floor kiddies? Find anything interesting yet? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news...oh wait no I don't...everyone must report to the Gymnasium for your next motive. Attendance is mandatory, and trust me, it's going to be beary surprising."_

"Great...and I was beginning to think this time around we wouldn't have one." Yuno said.

"We didn't have one last time, it isn't like this will happen again. We best do what he wants." Kyoko said, earning a nod from the archer.

The two walked toward the Gym, meeting up with a few of the others along the way. Sayaka appeared next to him, giving him a tight hug before taking his hand, whispering things about their friends who were all apparently dating officially now.

He spotted Leon and Taeko ahead of them, hand in hand, while Makoto and Mikan just stood next to each other bashfully, looking anywhere but each other. They all joined up, walking into the gymnasium. The first thing that they saw was the decorations, long white streamers hung from the ceiling, and there were balloons everywhere. The carpet had been laid out as well. A large banner hung over the stage and podium, the words Welcome being written on it. Byakuya stepped up, looking around.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"Seems like a welcome ceremony. I didn't think Monokuma would actually greet us like this." Nick said, grabbing one of the balloons from the ground.

"I don't like this, not one single bit." Hina added, standing next to Sakura, the quiet wrestler scanned the entire room, a feeling of nervousness washing over her.

"It isn't so bad. All you have to do is embrace this, we were all warmly welcomed right?" Bryce said, stepping in front of them a bright smile on his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you psycho?" Leon snapped, making the architect look at him.

"Nothing is wrong with me Leon, I'm just adapting. Didn't the gambler say that was for the best? Why don't you all do the same? Despair is a wonderful thing after all. It's delicious!" he said.

"Like we would stoop so low as to fall into despair with you! Stop screwing around and get a grip, we can't have you acting like this anymore." Yuno said. Bryce smiled, a smile on his face.

"Oh, don't worry about it Archer...out of everyone here, it'll be you who tastes despair first, what you've been experiencing thus far is just the tip of the iceberg, once you dive into the fire all you have to do is let it burn your skin. As far as I'm concerned, you stepped into that fire a long time ago." He said, looking at him with an eerie smile on his face.

Yuno felt a shiver go down his spine. The aura that was radiating from the architect was nothing he had ever felt before. He was uneasy, and he didn't know how to react, thankfully Sayaka was there and was able to calm him down before something bad happened.

"Welcome one and all to the first..or should I say second, Hope's Peak Academy Entrance ceremony." Monokuma cheered, jumping onto the desk with streamers in his paws.

Confetti burst from some cannons, startling everyone in the room, the multicolored paper fell all around them, bathing them in hues of red and blue. The other colors of the rainbow just seemed to meld together, creating a bit of a multicolored soup on the floor beneath them.

"What the hell do you mean _"Entrance Ceremony"_? We already had one of those, back when there were seventeen of us." Nick said.

"I agree with him, we haven't the time to be dealing with your useless dribble, so get on with it. You are wasting my time." Byakuya said. Monokuma looked at him, a frown on his face.

"I just wanted to celebrate. You guys are the worst...this despair I am feeling...I can get used to it I suppose." he said.

"It's alright Mono dude, that kid is just a rich douche bag, go on with the ceremony." Bryce said, encouraging the bear. The others didn't like this. The bear perked up, his grin back on his face.

"Well, I just thought that I would shake things up a bit by not only giving you a motive, but also by introducing you all to a new student. Let us all welcome into the fold, a very special and very charming young lady, Ryouko Otonashi, the Ultimate Analyst." Monokuma said, clapping loudly.

From behind him, a young woman walked out surprising all of the students. She was tall, around five foot ten in height, with long crimson hair, reaching almost to the ground. She had light ruby eyes, which were glowing with apparent happiness. She was wearing a white tee shirt, a size too small for her, since her midriff was a bit exposed, revealing her bellybutton ring, which glittered in the light. It also did little to hide her large breasts, which were threatening to break out of the shirt.

Over it she wore a light brown jacket, bearing the crest of Hope's Peak Academy, which she kept unzipped. She wore a pair of olive colored short shorts, short black socks and a pair of light red converse shoes. She had a white colored backpack around her shoulders. In her hands was an olive colored notebook, the tip of a pen was barely visible.

"Hello everyone. Nice to meet you all! I promise not to get in the way of anything, I'm rather forgetful, so could you please write down your names in my notebook? I don't want to forget them." she said happily.

"What...what the hell is the meaning of this? Who the hell is that?" Byakuya snapped angrily. Monokuma chuckled, waving him off.

"Like I said, this is a new student. She's going to be joining you all for the sake of bringing despair. Just look at her face? Don't you think it looks perfectly breakable?" he asked, glaring at the redhead, who just looked at him curiously.

"Why? Why drag an innocent girl into all of this? Isn't it enough that you are using us to get your sick kicks, but now you bring someone completely unrelated into this hellhole? She didn't do anything to deserve this." Yuno said angrily.

"Oh on the contrary, this girl did everything wrong to piss me off. Completely useless in every way, forgetful beyond belief and totally fucking stupid. Sure, she's very analytic of everything she sees, but if she forgets it then what's the point? She deserves this just as much as you all do. If you don't want her here, you can kill her..that is an option." he said.

"Why are you doing this? Not just bringing her in here, but all of this? Taking over this academy, locking us in, the killing the executions? What is the purpose of this?" Yuno asked. Monokuma laughed loudly, looking at the archer.

"Didn't I tell you before? It's all for the sake of despair, and for all mankind!"

"All of...do you even hear yourself?"

"I do...and now it's time for the next motive. It's quite simple really, and the one I was going to issue last time, before someone jumped the gun and stabbed a bitch. You all have wants and needs in this world, but everything is hard to get, and very expensive. All of your talents are geared toward spreading hope, and filling your pockets with money. So, how about I get you started by lending out a small loan of Ten Billion Yen?" he said.

As if to further the point, the podium opened up, revealing a tall stack of cash, just sitting there. Everyone looked at it wide eyed.

"Seriously? You think after all of this we'd fall to murder by killing each other? For money?" Nick asked, clearly angry.

"I don't know about you dude, but I would do anything for money." Leon said, earning glares from everyone, including his new girlfriend. He cringed.

"Except kill...I'm not going to do that. No amount of money is worth the life of another person." he said.

"I find money useless. What good is this small loan when I have way more at home?" Byakuya asked.

"Pfft, that's what you think. You all have seventy-two hours to kill someone and get away with it if you want to claim the cash. If not, then I'll take a blow torch to it. I hope you all have a wonderful money filled day...money money money!" he chanted, sinking into the floor along with the bank notes.

The room was silent for a few seconds, before Ryouko spoke.

"Who was that again?" She asked, making them all groan.

"Great...we have a chronic amnesiac to deal with, a fucking two toned bear with money, and a despair loving freak? What else could possibly go wrong?" Nick said, firmly.

"Really? Why would you go on and say that?" Hina snapped angrily. Yuno sighed, looking at the redhead, who was busy writing down something in her notebook.

That sense of familiarity hit him again, but this time he didn't know why. He spared a glance at Kyoko who seemed to be on the same boat as him. Whatever the case, with this new unknown player in the game, he knew it wouldn't be the same again.

 _ **Remaining Students: 14**_


	21. Chapter 4 Act 3: Hopeful Situations

**A/N: Well, here we are again ladies and gentlemen. After a few days, I have finally written the latest installment of The School Life of Mutual Killing II. This chapter is pretty much a left field chapter, none of you will expect the ending, because even I didn't expect the ending, and I wrote the damn thing. After the hell that the anime has been going through, and the despair I've been feeling, I finally felt the need to turn that despair into this chapter, and I hope all of you enjoy it. We are coming close to the end of Chapter four, and it will most likely be the shortest chapter to date, seeing as it might only have four acts, but a lot of information will be in this final act, and it will be a set up for the two final chapters of this story, Chapter Five will not only start kicking the despair into high gear, but it will also set up for Chapter Six, where everything will come together. There will also be a pause between these chapters to explain what Hiyoko is currently doing. If you are all reading the Prequel to this story, do not fret, I will be writing a new chapter for that story soon enough.**

 **That being said, this chapter will be full of emotions, and blue balls. I hope you all enjoy it, and make sure to leave a review, telling me how it was, or how much of a dickhead I am, or to tell me if I gave you blue balls. It's all welcome here.**

 **Also, should I include a lemon in this story? I ask because I am planning on writing one for Yuno and Sayaka. they are the main pairing in this story, and I was thinking of adding a couple more of them, probably giving Leon and Makoto some action with Taeko and Mikan respectively. If that's something you want to see, than please let me know, if not I'll just make it an after story omake or something.**

 **Hope you all have a wonderful day/night. And remember, Mistress Junko is always watching...reading...waiting...**

 **Update: 6/29/17 Act 3 of Chapter 4 has been edited and re uploaded. It contains various grammar fixes as well as some continuity fixes and added content.**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 4

Act 3

Hopeful Situations

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

With the addition of Ryouko into the killing game, Yuno had grown extremely worried. A new unknown player, and a motive of money, no one knew how to react and so far people weren't taking it too well. Now, they all sat at the cafeteria, going over the things they had found on the fourth floor. Bryce of course had gone off to explore on his own, and Sakura had insisted on going with him, but Yuno talked her out of it. Discussing what to do with Ryouko was more important than dealing with Bryce, no matter how dangerous the situation.

Yuno also had to deal with Chihiro's last will, as he hadn't gotten a chance to see what it was before they were all ushered into the Gymnasium for their next motive. Whatever the case, the twelve remaining students were at a loss of what to do. However, it seemed as if there was a ray of hope in their current dilemma.

"Honestly, I say we let her into the group." Makoto said.

"Are you insane man? We don't even know her! She could be a murderer." Nick added.

"Dude, if you hadn't noticed all of us are deadmen walking. We're all at risk of becoming a murderer, so making false claims like that is asinine and it's a waste of time." Leon said, his face free of emotion.

"I agree with Leon, we mustn't waste time on trivial matters." Sakura said.

"Alright, so let's see if we're on the same page. You want to let Ryouko into our little group, without knowing what the hell could happen, instead of singling her out and keeping an eye on her, just in case she turns out to be dangerous?" Nick asked, slightly taken aback.

"It's the only thing we can do Nick, we can't just leave her all defenseless in this academy, especially with Bryce going around. If he was able to use Chihiro's secret to do what he did, surely he can take advantage of her condition to make her do the same thing. I would gladly let Ryouko into our group over letting Bryce taint her mind." Hina said. The baker sighed, standing up from his seat.

"Whatever, if it gets you all killed then that's fine by me. But I am not willing to trust her, not yet. I'm not gonna die here." he said, ducking into the kitchen.

"Ugh...what a mess. Surely this was a side effect of what Monokuma was planning. Anyway, let's recount what we found on the Fourth Floor. I'll start, me and Sayaka found the Music Hall, it was pretty huge, filled with all kinds of instruments and loud speakers. She also expressed an interest in throwing a bit of a concert, and thinking about it, perhaps her music can get through the metal plating and bring attention to this building." Yuno said.

"Not a bad strategy. Surely making a lot of loud noise will bring attention to us. Similarly, I explored the Faculty Room next to the Headmaster's office. It held no means of escape but there were several interesting files stashed within the cabinets. They were mostly school records, test results and entrance exams for the International Branches of Hope's Peak, including Morning Hope High School located in America, and Hope Hills Academy located in Canada. It also listed an affiliation with an Elementary School located in this city, Hope's Peak Elementary School. It also lists all of the possible candidates for what would have been Class 80, including several people of interest, the Ultimate Electrician, and the Ultimate Autobody Specialist being the prominent ones." Byakuya said, earning a nod from everyone.

"Me and Nick checked out the Chemistry Lab on the west side of the Fourth Floor. It was filled with a lot of interesting things. There was also a large glass case, filled with several different things. Everything in case A happens to be Proteins and Health Supplements, case B is filled with Reagents, split by color, and case C is filled with Poison. Me and Nick put bright labels on each case so everyone knows what is what." Hina said, a proud smile on her face.

"There's also a back room filled with Pheromones and Pharmaceuticals." Nick added, earning a nod from everyone.

"Mikan and I explored the classrooms. We didn't find anything of interest, but there were a bunch of text books stacked up in the back of Classroom 4-A, and it had the names of several students belonging to Class 77, other than that we didn't find anything. Odd thing is, Mikan doesn't recall ever meeting any of them, even though they were part of her class." Makoto said.

"It could be due to the fact that each class is split in two. If you have noticed, aside from the first floor, all of the other floors have two classrooms, meaning each class is split in half. That means all of those students were part of Class 77A, where Mikan was most likely part of Class 77B, and most likely never met class A." Taeko said, earning nods from everyone.

"That does make a lot of sense, now that I think about it." Yuno added.

"The final room of interest was the Headmaster's Office, along with the Data Processing Room, access was restricted to both of these rooms, but I theorize they may hold something within them that would explain our current situation. We have to figure out a way to gain access without breaking Monokuma's new rule." Kyoko added.

"Man, what a chore. This is getting more and more annoying as we progress." Leon said.

"Yeah, but I figured we don't have much else to this academy. There's only one floor left after this one." Sayaka said with a smile.

"Meaning, one or more of us will have to die if we want to figure out what lies within. Think before you add useless information to the conversation." Byakuya said, making the Ultimate Pop Sensation frown.

"Hey man, no need to be a dick about it. She was just saying that there isn't much left for us to see. Other than the blocked stairs leading up to the second floor of the dorms. There has to be something that this academy is hiding from us, and we'll get to the bottom of it." Yuno said, glaring at the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. He smirked, standing from his seat.

"Be that as it may, there is still the chance of murder on the table. Ten Million Yen isn't much to a person like me, but for a bunch of plebs like you, it's a small fortune. Choose wisely among yourselves, though I'll make sure that none of you enjoy the boon." he said, taking his leave.

"Even after all this Byakuya is still an insufferable prick." Taeko said, making a few of her friends chuckle.

"He does have a point though. I trust that none of you will fall victim to the money that Monokuma has put in front of us, but there are people who aren't on the same page as us." Yuno added.

"There isn't much for us to do now. I say we all take a break and relax! We've been working hard all day, coming up with ways to get out of this academy. It won't be long until dinner is ready so let's take it easy until then." Mikan said, a bright smile on her face.

"Um, excuse me...does anyone know what dorm I'll be staying in? No one told me." Ryouko said, raising her hand high into the air. Everyone groaned. Sayaka stood up, a smile on her face. Yuno handed her Junko's room key, giving her a nod.

"Are you sure about this? You'll have to sleep in your dorm again." She said.

"No I don't. Remember, Monokuma lifted that rule, so I'll be sleeping in your dorm from now on. Besides, I doubt Leon wants me sleeping in the same room with his woman." he said, giving the Baseball Star a wink, making him blush a deep red.

"Okay, Ryouko why don't you follow me. I'll take you to your dorm." Sayaka said, a smile on her face.

"If you say so! Um...what's your name again?"

"I can already tell this is going to piss me off." Leon muttered under his breath. Taeko rolled her eyes, running her clawed finger over the top of his hand.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you distracted from that lowly wretch. I can teach you how to play Poker. After all, I still am the Ultimate Gambler, and I'll need someone to help me get better in the future...then again I never have lost a game." she said with a grin.

"I wouldn't mind learning how to play Poker, as long as I get to spend some time with you. It's a win/win for me." he said, returning her grin with one of his own.

"Jeez, what's with everyone hooking up all of a sudden. Wasn't escaping the academy our main priority?" Hina asked, earning a chuckle from Sakura.

"Love knows no bounds, even under extreme circumstances, love can bloom, like a beautiful rose." She said.

"What does that mean?" the tan swimmer asked. The Ultimate Wrestler just chuckled, patting her head.

"You'll know one day, my dear Asahina."

Yuno stood up from his seat, gesturing for Kyoko to follow. He gave a quiet goodbye to his friends, ignoring their curious looks as he left the cafeteria, the purple haired girl hot on his heels. Taeko smirked, looking at her friends.

"You don't think those two are doing things are you?"

"Yuno and Kyoko? No way...besides Yuno is totally in love with Sayaka. I think those two are just sharing notes with each other, or something revolving around the mystery of this academy. Have a little hope in them." Makoto said.

Entering the Bath house, Yuno looked around for a few seconds, making sure that it was indeed empty. Kyoko stood by the door, peeking out of it every few seconds. He moved toward the lockers, looking at the paper in his hands. He found locker number 6 and pulled it open.

" _Hello!"_

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, jumping back in shock.

He ended up falling over the bench, slamming hard into ground. He clutched his hand over his heart, his eyes widened with shock.

"Yuno, are you alright?" Kyoko asked, already at his side. He lifted a single hand up, pointing to the locker.

"Chihiro's head." he said simply.

Her brows furrowed, and she stood up, looking at the locker. Walking over to it, she peeked inside, not expecting what was inside.

"Hmm...interesting. Chihiro was able to come up with something like this? With such little materials?" she muttered.

"What's happening? We heard a scream." Makoto said, followed by everyone else, minus Ryouko and Sayaka. Yuno sighed, pulling himself to his feet.

"Everything is fine. My cover is blown, but I suppose I was going to tell you this at some point." he said.

"What do you mean by that?" Leon asked.

"It seems Chihiro was able to build an Artificial Intelligence within the laptop we found in the Library. She left it here in hopes for us to find it, or perhaps to hide it from the mastermind." she said, pulling the laptop out of the locker.

"Are you serious? How was she able to do that?" Hina asked curiously.

"You all forget that Chihiro Fujisaki was the Ultimate Programmer. She was able to do this because of her talent, I'm sure the laptop is out of date, but it was sufficient enough for her to work on. Now that we have this however, how will it benefit us?" Taeko asked curiously.

"We're about to find out." Yuno said, taking the laptop from Kyoko he placed it on the counter top. He saw that there was a chatbox open, the cursor already blinking. It was odd seeing Chihiro's head floating there, but he tried to ignore it.

" **Who are you?"** He typed, pressing the enter key. The program smiled brightly.

" _My name is Alter Ego. I was created by my master in order to aid her in the escape of Hope's Peak Academy. I am a self learning program, capable of learning at a high rate."_ it said.

"Jeez, it even talks like her." Makoto muttered.

" _Um...If I may ask, who are all of you?"_

" **We are friends of Chihiro Fujisaki. It's nice to make your acquaintance Alter Ego. You may call me Yuno."**

" _Nice to meet you too Yuno! If I may, where is Master? I don't see her among you? Is she alright?"_

Yuno's face hardened. He thought back to the previous Class Trial and how it had all played out. He looked at his friends, seeing the same expressions from all of them. Kyoko placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a nod. He sighed, typing out the lengthy response.

" **Chihiro Fujisaki was tricked into committing murder. While no one died, she was found guilty of the crime and put through an execution. I'm sorry."**

Alter Ego didn't say anything for a few minutes, before giving him a nod. The smile on it's face never left, in fact it seemed to have grown a bit wider, most likely keeping itself together after the news about it's master's demise.

" _Alright then. It is a shame that Master was tricked like that, but she foresaw this outcome. That is the reason I was created after all."_

" **What is your purpose?"**

" _My purpose was to aid Master in finding out everything about your current situation. The last thing she told me was to scan the hard drive on this computer to see if I could find any information relevant to the situation. I am currently 67% complete on that task."_

"Wow, I didn't think Chihiro would be smart enough to actually think of this. Do you think she also made this program with the hope that she could get it into the school network?" Leon asked.

"Perhaps. However, I haven't seen any T-2 lines anywhere around the school, so right now that might not even be possible." Kyoko said.

It wasn't an outright lie, but it wasn't a wise idea to connect this computer to a secure line, not yet anyway. Yuno glanced at her, brows furrowed in thought. He turned back to the computer, typing another response.

" **From the information decrypted, have you found anything important?"**

" _I haven't found anything of interest yet. However I did find one thing that you should all see, it was a picture that was stored in the hard drive, take a look."_

Alter Ego faded out, its face being replaced by a picture. Everyone looked at it, completely at a loss of words, especially Yuno.

The picture depicted everyone currently in the room, all of them standing in front of a large Christmas tree, which was beautifully decorated. Snow was falling all around them, and it looked liked it was around Christmas Eve, or even Christmas Night itself. All of the girls were dressed in bright red Santa outfits. Mikan was in the front, being hugged by Makoto who had a blush on his face, and a bottle in his hand.

Sayaka and Yuno were in the back of the picture, kissing each other due to the Mistletoe hanging above them, while Kyoko was watching them with vague interest. Kotoko, Yuno's little sister was also there, holding a box in her hands, decorated with beautiful wrapping paper. Everyone else was either standing around, making funny faces at the camera or throwing snowballs at each other. The faint silhouette of Hope's Peak Academy could be seen in the background.

"What is this...a Christmas picture?" Leon muttered.

"I don't remember this." Hina said.

She was blushing a bit due to the outfit she was wearing, and the fact that she was sitting on Sakura's shoulders, holding two bottles in her hand, which were green in color. It wasn't hard to figure out what was inside them. Mikan was also in the same boat, her face being a bright crimson.

"Makoto, I don't remember this but why are you drinking champagne?" she asked.

"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine." he said, clearly embarrassed by his actions in the picture.

"My sister is in this picture...I don't even remember having a Christmas party like this...hell I barely knew any of you until a few weeks ago."

Yuno said, looking at Kotoko.

She was smiling brightly, trying to get Kyoko's attention for some reason, and even though he didn't agree with her wearing the same Santa outfits the girls were in, he found it endearing all the same. The picture faded out, and Alter Ego returned on screen, a frown on it's face, most likely from seeing everyone elses. Yuno hovered his hands over the keyboard for a few seconds, thinking his reply, before finally typing it.

" **Thanks for showing us this. Continue decrypting the information on this hard drive. We'll check periodically to see how it's going."**

" _Alright, I shall continue with the decryption. I shall await our next meeting Yuno."_

With that, the young archer placed the Laptop back in the locker, and closed it, using the key that was inside to lock the locker tight. He turned back to the others, giving them a firm look.

"This doesn't leave this room. There is a reason why Chihiro brought Alter Ego here, and it's because the mastermind has a blind spot here. Sure, there might exist the possibility that they could still hear us, but with all of the steam here, I certainly doubt it. I will keep the key with me, if you need to use Alter Ego, you'll come directly to me." he said firmly.

"Fine by me, Chihiro gave you the note after all." Leon said firmly.

"I agree with Leon. So long as we can all be here when it finds new information, this is the best outcome." Sakura added.

"We should go back to the cafeteria, dinner should be ready by now." Yuno said.

Everyone started filing out of the Bath house, sparing a glance back at the locker that contained their new friend, a bright ray of hope shined on all of them, and for a few seconds, they could feel closer to the freedom from their prison. Once they left, Yuno turned to Kyoko, silently taking her hand, he slipped the key into her glove. With a single nod, he turned to leave, heading toward the dorms.

 _ **xxx**_

Junko hummed to herself as she looked at the live feed from the camera in the Hotel Plaza. She silently munched on an apple, pressing the sweet fruit against her teeth to get the juice out of it. She found it a little odd that all of her classmates had come out of the Bathhouse together, but reasoned they had been doing something along the lines of taking a bath.

It wasn't exactly prohibited, but due to the camera getting fogged up in there, she couldn't exactly have one installed. It was a burden, but she didn't mind having one tiny blind spot, if it meant she could keep an eye on them everywhere else.

She however hadn't expected Sayaka being so friendly toward her sister. She had taken her toward the dorms, and let her into her own dorm. She laughed when that happened, and if only Ryouko knew the truth, it would have been despairingly ironic. Since she had lifted the rule about who could sleep in what dorm, she noticed a few people had started sharing them, but didn't really care, not like she had at first.

If all of them were preparing to stay within the walls of Hope's Peak Academy for the rest of their lives, it would be good to start getting used to it all. Now that the fourth floor had been opened for exploration though, she had grown a bit nervous, and a bit giddy too. It wouldn't be long until the next murder happened and they were all one step closer to figuring out what happened to the outside world. The despair on their faces, that was what she wanted to see, the beautiful despair of seeing her friend's final hope being torn away from them.

She looked up from the interior security screens, looking toward the outside. Every camera on the outside had been fixed, thanks to the Ultimate Mechanic, but now she had seen something rather interesting. It seemed a few people were trying to get access into the academy proper. She couldn't see who it was directly, since they were hiding behind a bus.

She pressed her finger onto the screen on the panel before her, and spun it in a half circle, enhancing the image a bit more as the lens zoomed in. She squinted her eyes, a grin on her face.

"Ohohoho, if it isn't Koichi Kizakura...never thought I would see you return here. I thought you said being trapped in this academy wasn't your cup of tea, and now you are returning to it? How thoughtless." she said, pouting her lips.

She took another bite of her apple, this time sucking the fruit of it's juice. She slid her finger across the screen, shifting the camera toward the person with him. She recognized her as a P.E. teacher, once part of the academy faculty. She grinned, and spun in her chair, looking at the new flashing buttons on the panel behind her.

"I'll send them a bit of a greeting, hopefully they like it...what am I talking about? They'll love it!" she cried, pressing the flashing red button.

Loud gunshots started filling her ears, as the Gatling Guns attached to the academy roof started firing their payload at them. Kizakura ducked behind the bus, and couldn't be seen, but the woman took her chance, running toward the academy's front door. Junko frowned, and shook her head, pressing another flashing button. A loud boom filled her ears, and the camera was blocked out by the wave of dust and asphalt that had been produced.

When the camera cleared, it showed nothing more than a gaping hole where the woman once stood, a mess of body parts was the only thing left of her. Kizakura looked at it, clearly distressed. He spared a single look at the academy, two words escaping his lips.

 _"Kyoko, Hisashi."_

Junko's eyes narrowed as she returned her sights to the camera. What could that man possibly want with Kyoko and Hisashi of all people. She didn't know why, but she figured the late Jin Kirigiri had told him to watch over his kids. If that was the case, why hadn't he gone after Kotoko Utsugi Kirigiri instead? She didn't make it an exact secret of where she was being held? Or was it that they were more important? As they had the man's blood in their veins. She clenched her hand, turning the apple into nothing more than a pile of creamy mush.

"That man must want that bastard's kids. He did all of this so that the Hope of the world was saved. In the light of despair, he was a man of hope, and that hope flows through their veins. I have to make sure that hope is extinguished, replaced with nothing but despair. But for that to happen, I have to take my inside man and turn him into a psychopath. This should be enough to drive him into the throws of despair, even more so than he already has." she said with a grin, pressing a blinking red button.

A small disc came out of one of the monitors, it was a set of videos she had been saving for another motive, a motive that she couldn't use due to there being less people than she wanted, but the video was still usable. Of course, she had heavily edited the final product to include something that would make the person in question want to die where they stood, and that was the idea. She slipped it into a case, and pulled a black marker out of her bra, clicking it a couple times to bring the tip out, she wrote a single name on it, in fancy calligraphy.

" _Bryce Kotenok."_

Her smiled brightened as she handed it to the active Monokuma unit in the room with her. It was going to be great seeing him fall into despair, it would drive him to act and maybe to eliminate the thorn in her side, before it got out of hand.

"Soon, you'll be out of my hair. I wish you had left this academy to look for the Ultimate Despair like you said you would, instead you let a little girl talk you into staying. Weren't they your friends? Isn't the despair of seeing your friends destroy the world too much to handle? Apparently not, you bastard. Don't worry, soon enough you'll be eliminated from this game, I won't have to worry about you ever again, _Hisashi_ _Kirigiri."_ she said, glaring at one of the monitors. Her plan already in motion, all she had to do was sit back, and wait.

 _ **xxx**_

Bryce stepped out of the music hall, not finding anything of interest. He for a brief second wondered what exactly the others were talking about in the cafeteria, but figured he wouldn't wanted there anyway. At least the Ogre had left him alone, enough for him to be with his thoughts. Even though he had finally seen the light and had embraced the despair of his situation, he couldn't help but feel that it was bit to convenient for him.

Sure, he was still trying to get out of the academy, and he didn't mind killing anyone else to do it, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. Surely he wanted to see more despair, after all the last trial was oddly satisfying to him, now that he had started seeing things Monokuma's way. Yet, he hadn't successfully killed anyone, aside from getting rid of Junko who was by far the most useless player in the game. He still hadn't gotten rid of Yunosuke Nagahama, perhaps the most annoying thorn in his side to date.

They had been in this predicament for little over a month and two weeks, but he was rapidly losing hope of ever escaping the academy. Not that it would be an issue, seeing as he wouldn't mind staying there anymore.

He couldn't stop thinking about his mother. The only person who had ever loved him in his life, and had supported him in everything he did. Seeing her getting kidnapped on that video, it made the reality of his situation all the more real. He knew she wasn't in danger, and he felt it in his heart, but ever since seeing that video, there was a sense of dread etched in the back of his mind, a sense that he couldn't shake, like the fact that something bad had happened, not only within the academy, but within the world itself.

He had been theorizing about it for days, but hadn't come up with anything useful, and finally he just gave up, relenting on the hopelessness of wasting his time. With each investigation, each class trial, he found something exhilarating about the game, and he had focused on feeling that exhilaration every time someone had murdered. Of course, setting his classmates up had been simple, and he had done it successfully since the first trial.

It was a shame to lose people, but those that had been lost had been useless to start...well maybe not the serial killer, than again it wasn't safe having her around, and he knew everyone slept better knowing she had been laid to rest.

Still, he couldn't help but feel like something bad was happening beyond the walls, and that he was powerless to stop it. It fueled his own resolve to leave the academy, but with nothing else to do but to wait until someone busted through the front doors, all he had to entertain himself were his classmates, which he would be setting up for murder once more, should the time come.

That's when Monokuma appeared, hobbling in his own normal way of walking, a happy grin on his face. He had been carrying something behind his back, and had now stopped in front of Bryce, his smile never dropping.

"Heya pal, how are you enjoying the facilities?" he asked.

"They're alright. What is it that you need from me this time?" he asked, a bit annoyed.

Even if he had seen everything in the same light as Monokuma, that didn't mean he liked being near him. After all it was because of him that he was trapped in Hope's Peak.

"From you, nothing. Well...as you know, this week's motive is money, and surely you'll need it after what I am about to give you. Do you think you can handle it?" he asked.

"What do you mean by that? Only the person who gets away with murder will win the money, are you insinuating I risk my ass killing someone so that I could potentially win that money? Sorry, but it's to early for me to take that kind of gamble. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to try mixing a few chemicals in the Chem Lab, maybe I can create something that will melt this iron plates." he said, heading toward the Chemistry lab.

"You want to know the truth about this academy don't you? Of why you are here with everyone else?" Monokuma asked, forcing the teen to stop. He turned around, looking at the bear curiously.

"Of course, who doesn't want to know that? Are you saying you have that answer?" he asked.

"Well, it's obvious I do have it. After all I am your lovable headmaster, the question is, are you ready to find out the truth?" he asked. Bryce stood there for a few seconds, weighing his options.

He could finally get the answer he was seeking, and potentially get out of this academy, with the right set up, he could get everyone to kill each other so he could end up Scot free. On the other hand, there was a chance Monokuma was pulling a fast one on him, and the answers weren't even with him. The options were too tempting.

"Sorry, but like I said I am a little busy." he said.

"Have you not truly fallen into despair? You've seen everything in my beautiful light have you not? Why wait another second? Isn't it despairingly bad as it is? Having to wait for the answers that sit right before you? Trust me, I am your pal after all. I wouldn't betray you." Monokuma said, placing the disk on the ground. Bryce looked at the case, seeing his name written on it in fancy letters.

"This truly holds the answers? Are you are telling the truth?"

"Every word. I am your headmaster, not your warden. If I had the ability to let you all go, I would, but where would the fun in that be? Seeing the despair on everyone's faces every morning is beautiful, it's like my own personal sunrise, or a steaming cup of Joe, except it's a steaming cup of Despair instead."

He supposed the bear had a point. Picking the disk up, he looked at it briefly, seeing that It was actually a DVD. He nodded, slipping it into his pocket.

"I'll go watch this right away."

"God speed. Hope you like the truth!" the bear said, watching the teen disappear down the stairwell. He grinned widely, breaking into a howling laughter.

It took Bryce a few minutes of walking to actually make it into the A/V room. There wasn't a single soul wondering the halls of the academy, so he figured they must all still be within the hotel. He walked into the room, looking around at the emptiness, the box from their first motive still sitting on top of one of the monitors. He walked down a few rows, toward the monitor he had used during his first motive. He sat down grabbing the headphones, slipping them over his ears.

Once comfortable, he slipped the disc into the slot and pressed play.

He was greeted with a bright red screen, with a bright red number three on it. It counted down, going black after it had hit one. He had first been hit with the sound, the screams of agony, the sounds of gunshots and chainsaws, blood spattering, he didn't know what it was. The screen finally lit up, and he saw a familiar sight.

It was a classroom within the academy, and he didn't know when this was or what was happening, but all he knew was that there was a bunch of people killing each other. It was the most gruesome thing he had ever seen in his life, topping even Mondo's execution. He saw someone driving a spear through two other people, before hitting it with the spade of a shovel, killing them instantly. He saw a person literally get cut in half with a chain saw, another person was shot in the chest and killed instantly.

Someone's head was rolling on the ground, bright pink blood splattering everywhere. It was horrific, but to him it was beautiful, it had been the most despair inducing thing he had ever seen, and he didn't know why, but he enjoyed it. The screen cut to black, and his enjoyment was cut short.

Sitting in a chair, was his own mother. She wasn't much taller than him, standing at around five foot seven in height, with long brown hair styled into a ponytail. She had dark brown skin, and bright hazel colored eyes. She was wearing a long sleeved pink shirt, with a bright blue pair of jeans and leather boots. She had been strapped to a chair, and gagged with a rag. He didn't know what the place was, but it was clear that his mother was there.

The woman was crying in fear, especially when an unknown assailant had wondered in front of her. They paused looking at her straight in the eye, their masked face being inches from hers. They looked at the camera, to show that they were in fact wearing a Monokuma mask. The state of the room was a mess, the windows were broken, magazines and papers were strewn around, and he swore he heard gunshots and alarm bells all around him, but still he watched. The person pulled the gag out of the woman's mouth, before looking directly at her.

" _Please...why are you doing this?"_

They remained silent, instead just looking at the camera.

" _I don't know why it is that you have brought me here, but please...I have a son, I'm sure you have children of your own, in this mess of a world we're currently in, but this doesn't solve anything. It wasn't my fault that despair had overtaken the world."_

The assailant didn't move, for a few minutes Bryce thought that nothing was going to happen. However, he did see the person pause to take off the mask. His mother's eyes widened, and she screamed bloody murder, shouting _No_ over and over again. The person walked out of the camera's line of sight, before returning with what looked to be a dagger, along with a metal baseball bat.

The person plunged the dagger straight into her abdomen, causing her to cry in pain. Her shirt was starting to tinge pink from her blood, which spattered all over the floor as the person jerked the dagger out of her body, only to be plunged into her again, this time in a leg. For minutes, Bryce watched as his mother was stabbed repeatedly, in places that would cause her the worse kind of pain, but not in areas that wound end her life. Her blood was slowly pouring out of her, her cries of pain and agony filling his ears, as she begged for the person to stop.

Every time she was about to say the person's name, she got stabbed, which lead Bryce to believe it was someone she knew. Finally, the person plunged the dagger in the center of her chest, puncturing her lungs and aorta. She gasped in pain, probably not registering what was happening.

Weakly, she looked at the assailant, a questioning look on her face, before he brought the metal bat down onto her head. An audible crack could be heard, and blood splattered everywhere, including the camera lens. The person pulled the bat back, only to bash it into the dead woman's head once more, and for the next twenty minutes, that's all that Bryce heard, before the video went to black. He didn't know what to think, what to do or how to act. His face was soaked with tears, his eyes glassy and lifeless. He wanted to hurl...he wanted to die.

That's when he heard it, an angelic voice filtering through his headset, right into his soul.

" _The world has wronged you, taken away the most precious thing you held dear in your heart. While I cannot give you that back, I can give you the satisfaction of returning their pain twofold. Of course, there isn't anything you can do, not currently anyway. But if you agree to join me, then that money will be yours, regardless of whether you are a blackened or not, and you'll be able to go free. To hunt down the person who wronged you. I give that ray of hope to you, young Bryce."_

The video finally ended, and he let out an agonizing cry. He took the headset off, and ejected the disk, throwing it into the wall making it shatter on impact.

He looked at the screen, his face was one of pure agony, but his eyes were crimson, a glowing crimson filled with hope and despair. He had to find the person who had done this to his mother, who had taken her life, and he couldn't do that until he was out of this academy. He let out a chuckle, looking back at the camera.

"You want me to set them up, don't worry...I'll do more than that."

xxx

Dinner had come and gone, and it wasn't long before everyone had retired to their dorms. The nighttime announcement had been set to play in ten minutes, and Yuno had been busy, writing a few more things in his notebook. Due to Sayaka insisting, he had talked to Mikan about his dreams, and she had noted that it was good that he was writing them down, but he wasn't willing to share them yet, as he wasn't done writing everything down. It wasn't sufficient, at least to him.

He had just finished writing down the latest entree into the notebook, the one regarding the picture he had seen earlier. He had reread it, smiling at the detail he had added to it.

He had also been pondering what Kyoko had told him, or at least theorized. Him, being a detective? He didn't see it happening, he was just a humble person working toward the dream of being the best archer in the world. At least...that's how it had been before this hell in the hallways had started.

He had been doubting a lot since the beginning of his imprisonment, but never had he doubted himself. He wasn't going to start either, he would simply continue living his life in the academy, slowly solving as much of the mysteries as he could.

He closed his notebook when he heard the bathroom door open. He looked up, seeing his beautiful girlfriend walking out, in nothing more than a towel. He swallowed the lump in his throat, looking away from her. Sayaka continued humming a merry tune as she moved toward her vanity, undoing the towel from her head, letting the curtain of blue fall down her shoulders. She looked in the mirror, giggling a bit when she saw Yuno's blush.

"Is something wrong Yuno?" she asked.

"No, nothing is wrong. But I know that you are doing this to tease me, and I don't appreciate it." he said, still not looking at her. She giggled, her velvety voice filling his ears.

"Oh? Is this your first time seeing a girl in just a towel? Am I perhaps the first girl you've seen naked?" she asked.

"No, I've seen my fair share of naked girls before. We've all _accidentally_ ordered Girls Gone Wild." he said. She walked over to him, taking long strides to reach him. She stopped in front of him, placing her hands at her waist.

"Now Yuno, don't you dare compare me to those hussies on that video. That is nothing more than soft core pornography." she said.

"I'm not...I'm just not used to seeing the Ultimate Pop Sensation bearing it all in front of me, even if you are still in a towel." he said. She rolled her eyes, pulling the fluffy towel off her body, letting it all to the floor. His eyes widened and he looked at the wall.

"Sayaka please, don't do that. Hurry up and get dressed so we can go to sleep." he said.

She frowned, but didn't move. For a few seconds, she started thinking his request over, until she finally let her instincts decide. She placed her hands on his shoulders before sitting down on his lap, wrapping her legs around him. She gently turned his head until he was facing her before placing a kiss on his lips.

His eyes still wide, Yuno didn't know what to do. Here was the prettiest, most gorgeous singer of this generation, a girl who could have anyone in the world, and she had not only chosen him, but had also bared it all to him as well. She pulled away from him, a pout on her face.

"Why aren't you kissing back? Nervous?" she asked, a pout on her lips.

"Sayaka, please don't do this." he said.

"Don't do what?" she said playfully, twirling a strand of hair. He sighed, pushing her away from him, though it was more of a struggle than anything else.

"Sayaka please...this isn't the time for something like this." he reiterated. She sighed, standing up and turning away from him, crossing her arms.

"Why not? We like each other don't we? I can decide who I want to give my virginity too."

"It's not about that." he said standing up.

She turned to him, seeing the look on his face. He was blushing, but he was also firm in his choice. He placed his hand on her cheek, brushing a bit of her hair over her ear. He slowly traced his finger down her jaw line, looking right into her eyes. The nighttime announcement had started, but it just fell on deaf ears at this point. He gave her a bright smile, looking into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Sayaka Maizono, you are singlehandedly one of the most beautiful people I have had the honor of meeting. You are sweet, funny, crazy talented, and very friendly. Even with your status as an idol, you care about everyone and don't let it cloud your head. You are stern, stubborn and down right annoying when you want to be, but that's what makes me attracted to you." He said firmly, looking away from her, nervousness welling in his mind. He sighed, choosing to continue.

"I lied to you that day, saying that I didn't want a relationship with you due to the situation. From the moment I met you, I knew I wanted to be with you, but I just didn't know how to go about it. I don't care anymore, I trust my memories, we were together before this, beautifully in love. There's nothing else I want but to be with you. Being stuck in this killing game, it clouds us with despair, but we have to keep our hopes up. I get it, any day can be our last, and you feel the need to give yourself to me in case something bad happens to us. But trust me, the time will come. It doesn't have to be now. I just want you to know that no matter what happens and what the situation is, I love you, with all my heart. I can't live without you." he said.

Sayaka just looked at him, completely taken aback. No one had ever said something beautiful to her. Sure, she had heard sappy things from her fans all the time, but this was genuine. She didn't know how to react, what to say or what to do. But it seemed as if her emotions did it for her, as she had already started crying. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. He ended up wrapping his arms around her, even though she wasn't wearing anything. He returned the kiss with vigor, showing her just how much he loved her. They pulled away after a few minutes, looking each other in the eye.

"That was beautiful Yuno, and I want you to know that I love you too. With all my heart, when we get out of this academy, we're going to tell the world about us. I don't care about what my fans think anymore...I'm sure my dad will love to meet you." she said.

"Same here, I want my parents to meet you too. Once I find Kotoko, and your sister of course, we can all hold a celebration." he said.

"Of course, but don't you think you've escaped me tonight. If I'm in the mood again, you and I are going to get down to business, even if I have to strap you to that bed." she said, planting another kiss on his lips.

She turned around, wiggling her hips as she walked toward her dresser, pulling out a pair of pink underwear.

Yuno turned around, blushing a bright shade of red. It was taking a lot not to literally tackle her, but he knew it would be for the best. Though he couldn't help but glare at the camera, as it had been watching them the entire time. He smirked, grabbing the pillows on Sayaka's bed. He shook them out of their cases, and walked over to the camera, grabbing the desk chair to use to reach its height. He slipped both pillow cases over it, successfully blocking its line of sight.

"What are you doing Yuno?" Sayaka asked, looking back at him, now wearing one of his big shirts.

She had insisted in attaining one, as apparently, the all girlfriends wore the shirts of their boyfriends cliché, was something she wanted to cross off her checklist. He turned back to her, giving her a wink.

"Giving us some much needed privacy. Monokuma said we couldn't destroy the cameras. He didn't say anything about blocking their line of sight. Now, how about we go to sleep? It's going to be a long night." he said, earning a nod from her.

The two settled in, for a long night which Yuno hoped was free of nightmares and fractured memories of the past.

 _ **xxx**_

Morning came just as fast as night had, and soon it was time to tackle the day. Yuno and Sayaka had gotten up a bit earlier to get dressed for the day, wearing more casual outfits than they were used to.

Yuno had decided on wearing a light blue tee shirt, with his hooded vest over it, along with a pair of dark jeans and his favorite pair of boots. His hair had been brushed, though it still retained its normal spikiness. He had his pin attached to the lapel of his vest, glittering softly in the light of the bed room.

Sayaka had also chosen something much simpler than she was used too. She was wearing a light pink tank top, with a bright red bow on the front, with a blue gemstone in the center. She was wearing a short white skirt, with a ruffled design to it.

She was wearing a pair of white galoshes, which he didn't know she even owned, then again she was a famous pop idol, so having a lot of clothes was the norm for her. Her long blue hair was tied into a high ponytail, with two strands framing her face, decorated with several Kitty Barrettes which he still didn't know why she had, but found strangely adorable. The two we're walking to the cafeteria hand in hand, lost in conversation.

At least until they saw everyone else waiting outside of the cafeteria. Relief washed on their faces when they saw them, making the two look at everyone oddly. Yuno looked at the cafeteria, seeing the doors were firmly closed, and the cafeteria's grating was firmly shut. Leon gave them a wave, looking at the two.

"Morning you two, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing much, why is everyone out here though? Shouldn't you all be inside?" he asked.

"That's the thing, we can't get in. The gate is closed and it's showing no signs of opening." he said.

Yuno looked around, seeing everyone in full attendance, well everyone but Nick, who was most likely inside making breakfast for everyone. He saw Ryouko near the gates to the academy proper, looking at her notebook, her focus deeply ingrained on every page.

"Sakura and I have tried opening it for a while, but it seems these gates are made to last. Even with her massive muscles." Hina said, looking at them in worry.

"It seems rather odd that these are locked when normally they are not. It's a sense of foreboding that hasn't left my mind." the quiet wrestler said.

"What the hell is the hold up, I'm fucking hungry." Bryce snapped, glaring at the gates.

As if on cue, they started opening, forcing everyone back. They all watched as they finally disappeared, with a loud bang. For several pregnant moments no one made a movement, no one did anything, nor said a word. After five minutes of silence, Kyoko decided she had enough, and walked to the front, placing her hands on the door handles, and with a single push, threw the doors opened.

Yuno honestly didn't know what to think. After seeing so many people die, he had grown used to it. But even now, the despair felt all the same. He didn't know what to say, what to do...everything in his mind just went blank, as he fell to his knees, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The Ultimate Baker, Nicholas McFay, a person who had been friendly with them all, had taken it upon himself to cook all their meals for them, was now dead, and in such a horrible manner. His body had been suspended to the back wall of the cafeteria, nailed through his hands, almost mimicking a crucifixion. His head hung low, smeared with copious amounts of blood, bruises could be seen all over his face, and one of his eyes had been gauged out, hanging by a tendon.

His baker's uniform, once white, was now tinged pink with his own blood. Several knives had been stabbed into his chest, all covered in his blood. He also noticed all of the fingers on his right hand had been cut off, and tossed onto the ground, the blood pooling all around there, along with a few teeth that had been knocked out. The last thing Yuno noticed, was the dagger that had been plunged into the teenager's heart, most likely the cause of death.

His mind was blank, the smell of blood finally hitting him. He clutched his stomach, vomiting the bile that had gathered at the pit of his stomach. He apparently wasn't the only one as many others had started doing the same.

Hina had cried his name several times, being held back by Sakura who had tears running down the sides of her face. Sayaka was outright sobbing, trying to remain standing but was rapidly failing. Makoto and Mikan were holding each other, unable to look at the scene before them.

" _Ding ding ding. A body has been discovered, after a certain amount of time, a class trial will be held. This one as very gruesome one kiddies...will you be able to solve it? Or will it all hang by a thread? Upupupupupu!"_

"FUCK!" Yuno shouted, punching the glass doors, hard enough to break the glass, luckily he hadn't cut himself. He wiped his mouth clean from the bile he had just expelled from his body, and stood up, looking at everyone in the room.

"Who the fuck did it? Who the fuck did it!?" he said exclaimed.

"Hey man, it wasn't me. I would never do something like that." Leon said.

"I haven't the time nor the motive to commit such a crime. Your blame lies elsewhere." Byakuya said.

"Perhaps it was the new student, she does seem highly suspicious." Taeko said, looking at Ryouko with a glare.

"What? You can't possibly think it was me. What the hell lady, I just met all of you, why would I even want to kill you?" she asked firmly, her tone clearly pissed.

"Whatever the case, we have a murder on our hands and we have to solve it. I swear, this has to stop. I only trust seven people in this academy, and I know for a fact none of them are involved in this. We will get to the bottom of this, and you will die, a horrible cruel death." Yuno said firmly. Byakuya looked at him, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"If you think you can condemn me of this crime, then your folly is as profound as I thought it could be. The killer is among this group, possibly in front of you, can you bring them to light? Or will you let their crime fall into the darkness and let the rest of us fall into despair? I await the result of this trial." the Ultimate Affluent Progeny said, heading toward the gates leading into the academy.

"Where the hell do you think you are going? One of our friends is dead!" Hina snapped angrily.

"Your point being?" he asked, only to remain there for a few more seconds.

"We mustn't get distracted. For now let us investigate this crime and put it to rest. I didn't think something like this would happen this early in the day." Kyoko said, steeling her nerves before entering the cafeteria, her handbook tightly in her hand.

"Man, the despair written on all your faces...it's truly a marvelous thing. Why, I can feel it flowing through me." Bryce said.

He a smirk on his face, only to get punched across the face by Taeko, who was extremely pissed off. The teen dropped to the ground, unconscious. She looked back at the others, the glow in her eyes not leaving.

"I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself!" she exclaimed.

"I don't blame you." Makoto murmured.

He took a deep breath, turning around to face the crime scene. He was followed by Mikan, who was still sobbing quietly. This murder had hit a little close to home. Nick had been a person who literally didn't do anything bad, not a single murderous thought in his body.

He had fed them since day way, baking fresh pastries on a daily basis, and now he was gone, brutally murdered by one of them. Yuno would do his best to find out who it was, and he would make sure they paid, even if it was someone close to his heart.

 _ **(Hopeful Situations: Daily Life End)**_

 _ **(Despairing Hopelessness: Deadly Life Begin)**_

 **Remaining Students 13**


	22. Chapter 4 Act 4: Desparing Hopelessness

**A/N: Well everyone, I wasn't going to post this tonight, but what the hell. It's not like I am going anywhere...I spent Eleven Hours writing this, since around 1 in the afternoon today, and it is the longest chapter for Danganronpa chapter to date, and I doubt I'll let them get this long for awhile. But the time has come, for the conclusion of the Fourth Chapter, along with the Murder Case of Nicholas McFay, the Ultimate Baker. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as it is filled with Despair, Anger, Sadness and of course more Despair. The next chapter will of course be a Hiyoko chapter, showing us her reaction to the latest Class Trial. I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Also, I have decided to include a lemon in this story, most likely at the end of Chapter 5 Act 1. The next chapter will be filled with a lot of exposition, mostly revolving around Yuno, hopefully by now you've all put the pieces together and discover the truth behind who Yuno is and how it will affect the rest of the story. I might not post another chapter for a while, as I will be taking a bit of a break after this long ass chapter, however do expect a new post at some point, even if I say I won't I might post something anyway. It is how I am, i finish something and then I get too excited about it and post it right away. Thankfully I spent the last hour proof reading anything, but I may have missed some stuff. Be sure to leave a review, it is very appreciated after all.**

 **Remember, Mistress Junko is always watching...reading...waiting...**

 **Update: 6/29/17 Act 4 of Chapter 4 has been edited and re uploaded. This act was cut in half to create a fifth act. It contains the investigation half of the fourth chapter. It contains various grammar fixes and continuity fixes as well as some added content.**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 4

Act 4

Despairing Hopelessness

 _ **(Deadly Life)**_

 _ **(Investigation Start:)**_

 **Monokuma File #5**

 **Victims Name: Nicholas McFay**

 **Time of Death: Approximately 3:45 AM**

 **Cause of Death: Several Stab Wounds to the Abdomen with a sharp object.**

 **The Victim was found in the cafeteria early this morning by all of the students in Hope's Peak Academy. The victim was found crucified to the back wall, with two kitchen knives. Several lacerations were found on his limbs. The victim also had thirteen deep stab wounds, along with a deep laceration to his right eye. His face also showed signs of bruising.**

It had taken him several minutes to finally walk into the cafeteria. The scent of fresh blood lingering in the area made him sick to his stomach, but he pushed through it. It wasn't as if he had anything to vomit anyways. Yuno walked toward the back of the room, looking around the area, trying to see anything that could help him solve this case. Nothing had caught his eye, until he spotted a pink splotch on one of the round tables. Walking over to it, he saw that the edge of it was covered in blood. He looked at the tile floor, seeing the little specks of it on the tiles.

"Nick must have struck his head on this, hard enough to draw blood. No, that isn't the case...it was the assailant. The one who did this to him used this table to cause him harm, that probably explains the laceration to the eye socket in the file." he muttered to himself, writing it down in his notebook.

" _ **Blood Covered Table was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Yuno stood up, looking around the area. He saw a few foot prints around the area where the teen had been crucified, though half of them were unusable due to the large pool of blood that had formed around them. He decided to write it anyway.

"These must belong to the person that hung him up. That means Nick was most likely unconscious when this happened, since the blood is on top of the prints."

" _ **Bloody Footprints was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Looking at the body, Yuno noticed several things right off the bat. The dagger that was still lodged in his body, was one he had never seen before in his life. It was black and white, with a red marking on the handle of it. It was soaked in blood, no doubt from the one it was used against. He reached for it, only to be stopped by Kyoko. She shook her head.

"Don't pull it out. There might be some finger prints on it that we can use." she said.

"Are you seriously going to collect prints? Wouldn't that take a long time to figure out anyway? We don't have all day for this." he said.

"While it's true that it will take time, it is a valuable option. I will take care of it, the chemicals in the Chemistry Lab will be useful for this kind of thing. I may not be able to fully track down who did it, but I'll be able to at least get a solid lead." she said.

"If you say so. It's all yours." he said, earning a small smile from her. He turned to the body, swallowing the lump in his throat.

He still didn't know how to describe the feeling, even after being in this position several times in the past. He shook it off, focusing on the task at hand.

He looked at Nick's arms first, seeing several scratch marks on them. His sleeves had been rolled up, and one of his hands still had a plastic glove on it, smeared pink from the blood of his own hand.

"Nick was making breakfast for all of us, like he normally does. His sleeves are rolled up and he still has the glove on. But what about the scratch marks? Who could have possibly done that?" he muttered to himself.

" _ **Scratch Marks was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Rolled Up Sleeves and Plastic Gloves was added to your Truth Bullets"**_

He looked at Nick's hand a bit closer, seeing the nail, was in fact an iron skewer. The top of it was bent downward, showing signs of being struck by something hard. He looked at Nick's left hand, seeing the second skewer in a much similar state.

"They used these skewers as makeshift nails. It was the only thing strong enough to go through the wall and his hand. It was also strong enough to hold him in place." he muttered quietly, writing it down in his journal.

" _ **Iron Skewers was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Um...Yuno, do you have a moment?"

The young archer turned to Mikan, giving her a nod and a bright smile. They walked away from the body, allowing a few others to take a look at it. She sat down at one of the long tables, placing a clipboard on the table top. He also noticed the severed digits belonging to the Ultimate Baker on a napkin. Before he could say anything, she held her hands up.

"I want you to listen to me first. I know it's messed up but I had to check these fingers for possible DNA samples. That's what I brought you over here for, the fingernails are clean."

"Clean? Seriously?" he asked. She gave him a nod.

"Normally, you would have skin cells and grime accumulated underneath the nail. Even if you wash your hands, it's sometimes difficult to get the dirt out, unless you actually scrub it away and even then, more cells would take the place of the dead ones. When I checked these fingers, they were spotless. I noticed Nick was wearing plastic food gloves, meaning he would at least have a bit of sweat on his fingers and the palm of his hand, but they were dry, aside from the blood." she said.

"So your saying the person who cut these fingers off, did so because Nick got their DNA under his fingernails?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm not certain, but that does sound like the likely reason. Why else would Nick be missing a glove?" she asked.

" _ **Nick's Severed Fingers was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Mikan's Theory was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"It does make sense. Did you find anything else?" he asked.

"No...I did check his head for signs of trauma, and I found a lot. The entire right side of his head was shattered. His eye was gauged out before he was struck here, and the laceration is deep. His nose is also partially broken, and several of his teeth were pulled from his mouth." she said.

"Jesus Christ...they had a party with this murder." he said angrily. He looked away from her, gritting his teeth.

"I know it's hard Yuno, but we will get to the bottom of this. Don't lose hope now, you've given us a lot of hope these last few weeks. It won't be long until all of this is over." Mikan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded, giving her a firm hug.

"Thanks...it's just been one thing after another, especially after the last case...he didn't need to die." he said sadly.

" _ **Mikan's Autopsy was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

After talking to the Nurse, Yuno headed into the kitchen. He spotted Hina there, looking around at everything longingly. He noticed a big plate on the counter top, with a glass cover on it. When he walked toward her, he heard the quiet sobs coming from the Swimmer. He stopped next to her, looking at the plate. She didn't even look up from it.

"I think I understand what Sakura said to me yesterday, about Love blooming like a beautiful rose. I didn't even know it, but that rose was me, and my love was taken from me before I even had the chance to bloom." she said.

"I'm not gonna say anything...there's nothing I can say. All we have to do is bring his killer to justice. You spent a lot of time with him and Sakura, cooking and making health foods right? Did he ever had a set time for being here?" he asked.

"He came here at 3AM every day. There were times I would come and help him, with Monokuma's permission of course, and we would make tons of stuff. Those were usually the days after a class trial, since we wanted to cheer everyone up. God, I should have come here with him this morning, this wouldn't have happened." she said, fresh tears running down her face.

"Okay, did he ever do anything weird? Like maybe wash his hands a lot? Or change gloves?"

"No...he washed his hands thoroughly, but didn't go all clean freak about it, since he did wear gloves. He didn't find a need too. And about changing them, he did change his gloves a lot when his hands got to sweaty." she said.

"Interesting, so Mikan's theory about the culprit washing the fingers was correct. Okay, about the Iron Skewers, did you ever use them for anything? I know you guys also made lunch and dinner, so you must have used them at some point right?" he asked.

"Actually no. We put the skewers in the storage room since we didn't have a need for them. It's not as if we could have a cook out or anything, plus we never really used any of the big slabs of meat in the freezer for anything." she said.

"Thanks for answering my questions. I know this is hard for you, but this information will be a great help in this case." he said, a small smile on his face.

" _ **Asahina's Account was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Sure, anything to bring that bastard to justice. It's just a shame I never told him my feelings."

"Don't worry, I'm sure where ever he is, he knows just how much you loved him." he replied.

"We were going to give some of our homemade donuts to Jason Statham one day. We even promised...guess I'll have to keep that promise myself. I won't let him down." She said firmly, wiping her tears away.

"Do you want a hug? I don't like seeing you crying." he said. She nodded, standing up from her seat, wrapping her arms around him. He felt really bad, especially because she had never confessed to the boy. It only fueled his drive to find the culprit. After a few minutes, Yuno excused himself, exciting the kitchen.

He was reading everything over in his notebook, making sure he had all of the information he had gathered so far, in order of relevance and importance. So far, three of the things he had written about were the most important to the case.

There wasn't much left to do, so he turned to the body preparing himself for his examination. He took a deep breath, having done this enough times in the past. He looked closely at the dead teenager, trying to spot anything new. Aside from the scratches on his arms, he didn't see anything on his limbs. He looked at Nick's hand, seeing the dry blood that was on his left sleeve. He poked a finger to it, noticing that it was indeed dry.

"The assailant must have cut the fingers off before the crucifixion. That also might explain the blood on his face. He probably grasped his hand tightly to stop the bleeding and ended up soaking himself." he muttered.

" _ **Nick's Severed Fingers was Updated."**_

Yuno looked at the young man's clothes, seeing they were a bit disheveled, as if he had been in a fight prior to his death. He noticed the laces on his right shoe were untied, and his left pant leg was over his boots, instead of tucked inside it like normal. Yuno placed his notebook in his pocket, and reached for Nick's shirt, undoing the buttons. He carefully pulled it away from his skin, eyes widening.

His abdomen was severely bruised, as if someone had kicked him with all of their strength. He felt his ribs, noticing at least five fractures and three breaks.

He ran his hand along his right side, noticing three more broken ribs. His clavicle was also broken, and he could trails of ruptured vessels trailing downward. The six stab wounds to his abdomen were still oozing a bit of blood, and he quickly covered it, taking a step back.

"Holy shit...they beat the fuck out of him." he muttered.

" _ **Broken Ribs was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Broken Clavicle was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

He took a deep breath, shivering a bit as the reality of what was happening started to set in. Not only had they killed an innocent person, but they had also beaten the hell out of him, for no absolute reason. He was happy he hadn't eaten anything, or else he would have kept vomiting everything. That didn't stop him from gagging though, as he gripped the table top, his knuckles turning white.

"Yuno, are you alright?" Sayaka asked, appearing next to him.

"I can't...I have to get out of here...I can't keep doing this." he said. She nodded, taking his hands in her own.

"Let's go, you are done for now." she said, pulling him out of the cafeteria.

He slumped down the side wall, taking deep breaths. He felt faint, his throat was dry and it felt as if someone was squeezing the life out of him. His eyes were glassy, his lips were dry, and his head hurt, a lot more than normal.

"Yuno, are you alright? Yuno?" Sayaka cried. He was about to reply, only to find himself slumping over, passing out from the stress.

"Yuno! Don't do this to me! Mikan, someone get Mikan, she needs to see him!" She cried.

"I'll go find her." Hina said, bursting out of the cafeteria at full speed. She wasn't about to witness the death of another friend, not when she could help it.

"Don't worry Yuno, everything will be alright. Everything will be fine." Sayaka said, whispering into his ear.

"Everything will certainly not be alright."

She turned around, glaring at Bryce, who had been leaning against the wall for the better part of the investigation. He was smirking, his crimson eyes glowing brighter than she had ever seen.

"Why don't you shut fuck up? You are literally doing nothing here, just go to your dorm and stay there." she cried.

"Why would I do that? When the sweetness of despair is sitting right in front of me? I want to drink it in. I told him didn't I? That he would be the first to feel this despair? I gave him a fair warning and he didn't heed it, and for that someone paid the price. Will he be the same after he wakes up or a totally different person? That is up to him to decide." he said with a sneer, breaking into a boisterous laugh.

 _ **xxx**_

Voices swirled all around him, and he couldn't discern anything anymore. The darkness that had been consuming him, finally lifted, and he found himself in a plaza. He looked around, seeing nothing but trees all around him, the beautiful stone fountain had dried up, a few yen laying at the bottom of the stagnant pool. Looking around, he noticed all of the lush green trees, were now dead and lifeless, the blue sky was a dark crimson, and the stars dotting it, once a beautiful whitish gold, was now a darkened purplish red.

The clouds were dark and the sounds of gunfire filled his ears. Looking around, he saw that behind him was the proud Hope's Peak Academy, now covered in iron plating, the bricks of the once pristine academy, now destroyed and cracked. Large mounted guns were firing all around him, at what, he didn't know. The sight was enough to scare him.

"What...what is all this?" he asked himself, looking around.

He looked at his hands, seeing that they were slightly paler than he remembered. His left hand had a leather archer's glove on it, he also felt the weight of his bow and quiver on his back. He was dressed in his formal attire, the same one he had worn on his first day at the academy. He didn't remember changing into it.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and started walking, heading back toward the academy. It was all unreal to him. The stone walkways were broken and filled with holes, several dead bodies littered the ground, and he swore he saw a couple of them skewered onto the iron fence that surrounded the academy. He had made it back to the front door, seeing it had been opened. He tried running toward it, only for him to freeze, stopping in place.

He saw his friends, all of his friends standing there, looking directly at him. He willed himself to move, tried to hurry up and get in, he didn't know why but he felt it in his heart, he had to be there, he had to get inside. Yet he couldn't move, for whatever reason.

"What is happening, what is this?" he asked.

" _This...this is your worst nightmare."_

He looked behind him, seeing a hooded figure standing there, looking at him. He looked back, seeing the door to the academy had closed, the alarm bells ringing loudly before finally stopped. They had sealed themselves inside. Finally being able to move, he turned around, drawing his bow and aiming it at the person behind him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

" _I'm someone from the dark!"_ the voice replied.

The person was slightly taller than him, and was dressed in a black cloak, covering their entire body. He didn't know why, but he felt that feeling of longing in his heart. As if he knew the person. The voice...the voice seemed familiar too. That's when it hit him.

"It's you...that voice from my dreams, the one that talks to everyone. The one that teased Hiyoko and Daisuke, the one that talked to Natsumi at that Swim Meet." he said.

" _The one that you've been trying to figure out since day one. Tell me something, do you remember your true name?"_

Yuno looked at the figure, tilting his head in confusion. He didn't know how to even react to his query. He shook his head, blinking a few times to get rid of his confusion. Though sadly it hadn't been that easy.

"What kind of backward ass question is that? My name is Yunosuke Nagahama, and I am the Ultimate Archer, scouted by Hope's Peak Academy for Class 79." he replied.

" _Are you sure that is your true name? Because I beg to differ, the proof is irrefutable, the one you claim to be and the one you are are two different people. So I'll ask again, do you remember your true name?"_

Yuno grit his teeth, firing the arrow at the hooded man. He easily caught it, tossing it aside. The fired two more, only to meet the same fate. Yuno ran at him, holding his bow tightly in his hands, swinging at him as hard as he could. The hooded man instead dodged it, drawing a katana from thin air.

It was a beautiful sword, with a 43 inch blade, which was glowing a bright crimson in color. It seemed to radiate energy from its blade. Yuno jumped back, holding his bow up to guard the attack, only to have it be sliced in half.

" _Here I thought you had what it took to actually fight me off. You can't keep denying it. You and I are the same, and different in every way, she lied to us, she did this to us...she did this to the world!"_

"What are you talking about?" Yuno cried, unable to comprehend what was happening.

" _You'll find out soon enough. We shall meet again, sooner than you expect."_

The man slammed his sword into the ground, a bright light bursting from the blade. Yuno cried in pain as everything went white.

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno shot up, panting heavily. His hair was drenched in sweat, and his arms felt heavy. He looked around, seeing that he was once again in the Nurses office. His eyes focused a bit, and he saw Sayaka standing there, along with Mikan, Leon, Makoto and Taeko, all of them having the same worried looks on their face. He clutched the side of his head, only to have a bottle pressed to his lips.

"Here, you won't be able to keep up if you are dehydrated." Mikan said. He tipped his head back a bit, allowing the cold liquid to enter his body. Once he had drank enough, he tore the covers off himself, preparing to stand.

"I need to get back to the case. I have to solve this murder...where's my notebook?" he asked.

"Yuno, that's enough. You've been acting strange lately, and having these dreams...you fainted, and you were muttering things in your sleep. Despair, crimson skies, Hope's Peak Academy." Sayaka said, growing worried.

"You also kept saying, _'She did this'_ over and over again. Sweetheart, I think it's time you told us about these dreams." Taeko said, handing him his open notebook. He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"You already read them, why do I have to talk about them?" He asked, earning a small smile from Mikan.

"It's better if you explain it to us."

He took a deep breath, going over what he wanted to say in his mind.

"Ever since the second class trial, I've been having these weird lapses. I already told you all about my first memory of the academy. The one that had to deal with Natsumi Kuzuryuu and that swim meet held here. I've been getting more memories like that for awhile, every time something traumatic happened, or I saw something I felt was familiar. I would get a daydream, so I decided to write them down. However, after Chihiro's execution, they've been coming at me much more frequently, usually as nightmares.

That week that I spent in Taeko's room was the worse, and that's where most of these came from. Day dreams would hit me in the hallways, and I would see other students. I also had dreams of people I had met in the past, those two students in the Music hall were part of them as well. You guys already know the one about the Reserve Course students and the Student Council massacre...I just..don't know anymore."

"You should have told us this when they started happening. We could have talked about it." Makoto said.

"We could have helped you understand, instead you just...worried us." Leon added.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just needed some time to think, to put the pieces together before I told you guys. I think something is wrong with me. My amnesia, it seems too...convenient." he said.

He pulled the cap off his pen, and flipped to a clean page, past his current investigation pages, labeling it as nightmare number 12. He started jotting down what had just happened to him.

"So, now that you did tell us, what was the new one about?" Mikan asked.

"I don't know. It was weird...I was outside the academy, and everything seemed...dead...the trees, the grass. The academy itself seemed dead. It had these big weapons attached to it, firing into the distance. The skies were a blood red in color, and it seemed as if the world had lost all hope. I saw the academy getting sealed off, with all of you inside it, and I was still outside. There was this man, a tall man dressed in black, talking about how I was the same as him, asking me if I remembered my true name. It's all just plain weird...he also had this, glowing red katana. I dunno...all seems like a _Sci-Fi_ movie to me." he said, finishing his short note.

"A person, telling you that you and him were the same? The sky being blood red? Did you eat any candy before going to sleep dude? That sounds unbelievable to me." Leon said.

"It's the same for me, but his dream does hold some credibility. Perhaps his subconscious is trying to tell him something." Taeko said.

"Maybe about the person who trapped us here? That's why he kept saying she over and over again." Makoto said firmly.

"That's a great point Makoto. We have our first lead on the mastermind, they're probably a woman, but that doesn't give us much to work with." Sayaka said.

"It's still more than what we have now. We better finish this investigation off, before we run out of..."

" _Ding ding ding, another body has been discovered. Jeez kids take a break, smell the roses...there's only so much murder that can happen in one day. Trust me, this time it is a murder, not a suicide."_ Monokuma said, grinning widely. The screen turned off, and all of them shared a look. Yuno grabbed his boots, hastily putting them one, before donning his hooded vest.

"This shit doesn't end." Leon said.

He hastily left the Nurses office. None of them knew where to even go, so Makoto had told everyone to split up, with Sayaka, Mikan and Leon heading back toward the Hotel, and Makoto, Yuno and Taeko heading deeper into the academy. They checked the gym first, not finding anyone they decided to move up to the second floor, hastily checking all the areas before moving up to the third floor, again they were greeted with nothing, at least until they moved up the fourth floor.

Makoto told his friends to stop, as they noticed the familiar pink blood traveling down the steps. He carefully made his way up, hopping into the steps that we're clean, only to stop at the big step half way up. He jumped back, slamming into the metal plated window.

"Oh my god...it's Sakura." he said simply.

At that moment, their handbooks vibrated, being updated with a new Monokuma file. Yuno pulled it from his pocket, already on the file.

 **Monokuma File #6**

 **Victim's name: Sakura Oogami**

 **Time of Death: Approximately 12:09PM**

 **Cause of Death: Multiple Stab wounds caused by a small thin object.**

 **The Victim was found by Kyoko Kirigiri, Aoi Asahina and Byakuya Togami as the three were investigating the Fourth Floor. It seems as if Sakura was heading back down stairs when she was attacked, no signs of the assailant were left at the scene.**

Yuno shoved the device in his pocket, carefully moving up the stairs to see the Ultimate Wrestlers body. It was face down, a large amount of blood still flowing from her body. Her hair was soaked in it, as it had been touching the small pool that had gathered. Her white shirt was also stained with blood, several pin pricks could be seen, nine in total.

He looked to the top of the steps, seeing Kyoko and Hina, the young woman was balling, her sobs being muffled by the purple haired girl's blazer. She gave a nod to Yuno, who gave her a frown.

Performing a small prayer, Yuno knelt down, examining the body. He started with the stab wounds first, as they were the easiest to check. The nine that he did see were all around the mid to lower back. Sakura was a tall person, and for someone to actually stab her mid back, it meant that they had to have knocked her down, or at least jumped on her.

"The person who did this was definitely shorter than her. One of these punctured the spine, which was probably what caused her to fall down the stairs in the first place." he said firmly, jotting it down.

" _ **Stab Wounds was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"These are also quite small, meaning something thin and sharp had to have been used as a weapon. Something that wouldn't break easily...something like the skewers used in Nick's murder." he said, muttering the last thing under his breath.

" _ **Iron Skewers was updated."**_

"Makoto, can you help me turn her over, I need to see the front of her body." he said.

"Don't, you can't move her!" Hina cried.

"If he doesn't do this, then he won't find the perpetrator. Is that what you want? To die without finding out who killed your friend?" Byakuya snapped, glaring at the tan swimmer.

"This isn't helping Byakuya. If you are just going to stand around and do nothing, then I suggest you find something else to do." Kyoko said.

"Why would I do that? I am going to stay here to observe, after all why do I need to investigate myself when I can have my case made for me." he said, the sneer never leaving his face.

If it wasn't because of the investigation, Yuno would have surely slapped the hell out of the Togami heir. He shook his head, taking a hold of Sakura's arm, while Makoto grabbed her legs. With a firm grunt, the two were able to turn the wrestler over, so that she was facing up. Yuno immediately wished he hadn't.

Sakura's forehead had been bashed open, the indent of the stairs evident on her head. Blood was still oozing from the laceration, and he swore he saw a bit of brain matter. He noticed the odd angle of her neck, and knelt down to feel it, nodding to himself.

"Her neck is broken, possibly from the fall. The laceration on her head was definitely done by the assailant. Most likely to ensure that she was dead." he said.

" _ **Sakura's Broken Neck was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Laceration to the Forehead was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Don't you find it odd that in both murders, the person in question has a laceration to the head? Look, Sakura's eye was gauged out as well." Taeko added.

"Good eye, we might have a signature here. The killer must be a person who wants to ensure the victim is dead, by lacerating the eye socket and gauging the eye out, it gives them clear access to the brain, for a fluid stab motion. That or they're a sick individual." he said.

" _ **Gauged Eyes was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **The Killers Signature was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"Wait...could that possibly mean that the stab wound to Nick's heart wasn't what killed him, but the laceration to the head instead?" Makoto asked.

"That is possible. A stab to the brain would be quicker, then again a stab to the brain doesn't guarantee certain death. There were cases in the past where people who were shot in the head still survived, as well as people who were stabbed in the head. There was this gnarly one on this medical show I used to watch, where this guy fell onto a crow bar, and it went through his head and he was still fine." he said.

"Can we please not talk about this?" Hina cried, drying her eyes.

"Sorry." he muttered.

"Whatever the case, that means the person who killed Nick stabbed him just for the sheer joy of seeing his agony. That is truly disgusting." Taeko added.

Yuno gave her a nod, kneeling before Sakura. He checked her body over, feeling two more stab wounds, one near the stomach, and one right over her right breast, most likely puncturing her heart.

"Two more stab wounds in the chest, if my theory about the person jumping onto her is right, then these two were the first wounds, and everything else happened here in the stairwell. Kyoko do you see blood anywhere up there?"

"Nothing, not a single speck and trust me I looked around for a bit before Hina got here." she said. He sighed angrily.

"Why is there so much blood if she was stabbed in the back?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Even with that small wound on her heart, that's still big enough for her to bleed out. As he heart keeps pumping blood, it turns that little hole into a fountain, spraying blood everywhere. That's why I asked if there was any blood up there in the first place. Her shirt must have soaked it all up. The wound to her spine caused her to fall and hit her head, the assailant just finished the job. The stabs to the back were most likely made postmortem." he said.

" _ **Two Stabs to the Chest was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

"I have to check something. Kyoko I trust that you'll finish up here." Yuno said.

"I'll handle it. If it's something relevant to the case, then examine it thoroughly. I already have my suspicions on who it is." she said. He nodded, turning to his friends.

"See ya later guys. Keep your hopes up, we'll get to the bottom of this soon enough." he said, heading off down the stairs. Makoto and Taeko shared a worried look, only for them to smile.

"He's got this." they said in unison.

Yuno stopped at the bottom of the steps, having run across the third and second floors none stop. He took several deep breaths, his dull ache had returned full force, but he pushed through it, ignoring the pain. He would make sure to ask Mikan for some painkillers later, not wanting to deal with the annoying head aches anymore.

He slowly made his way across the first floor, keeping his eyes sharp and trained on everything that moved, just in case something happened. As he entered the Hotel Plaza, he bumped into Ryouko who had been about to leave herself. Her notebook fell onto the ground, remaining open. He shook his head, looking into her eyes.

"Sorry Ryouko, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." he said.

"It's alright...um Yuno right?" she asked, earning a nod from him. He knelt down, picking up her notebook.

"Hmm...this looks almost like my notebook." he said, flipping through a few pages.

"Yeah, it was a gift from my friend, apparently he said that I carry it around because of my memory problems. It's a disease without a cure, so I have to do what's best for me to remember everything." she said. Yuno frowned.

He was in her place too, not knowing who you were or if you had family, it was a scary thing to go through, even now that he was getting his fragmented memories back. That was a luxury Ryouko would never have. He stopped at one of the middle pages, brows furrowing a bit. He read the words written on it, eyes widening.

"Um, Ryouko...did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" she asked curiously.

"By that metal plating, I heard something odd. We should check it out." he said.

She nodded, walking ahead of him, as soon as she did he ripped the page out of the notebook, shoving it into his pocket. He took her pen and wrote a single sentence inside, before closing it. He followed the girl to the plating, seeing her press her ear to it.

"You're right, I hear noise. Should we try to attract their attention?" she asked.

"I doubt they would hear us, especially with all of this plating. Here is your notebook by the way, I wrote my name in it so you don't forget."

"Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me...also, I didn't kill anyone. I maybe forgetful, but I wouldn't do something like that. I'm just confused as to why I am in this academy, and where my parents are, and where my sister is." she said.

"You have a sister?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

"I do...I don't remember her name, but I know I do have a sister, that's why I wrote it down in my journal." she said.

" _That was odd, I didn't see anything about her having a sister in the first few pages of the notebook. Then again I didn't read it thoroughly."_

"I have to go Ryouko. Stay out of trouble and don't talk to anyone you don't feel comfortable, especially Bryce...he is a bad person." he said. She smiled, taking his hands in her own.

"Thanks for being so kind to me, and for worrying over me, but I'll be just fine. Trust me okay?" she said, giving him a wink.

He noticed the tattoo on the back of her hand, and that struck him as odd. It was a tattoo, depicting a howling wolf, the name Fenrir was written underneath the wolf's head.

" _Al...right._ Be safe okay?" he asked, earning a grin from the girl. He took his leave, walking through the iron gates that lead to the Hotel.

"So little prince, how was the nap?"

Yuno grit his teeth, glaring at Bryce, it seemed as if he hadn't moved from his spot at all, though there was a bottle of water next to him, along with a few empty cans of food. He had a sneer on his face, the same one that had been on his face when the cafeteria was opened.

"Why do you care? Don't you hate me? After all you've tried to kill me in that past." he said.

"I have, but I still worry about you. We are all human beings after all, trapped in this beautiful academy we call a home." he said.

"Fuck you. You say everyone around you is useless, and yet here you are being a useless piece of shit yourself. Why don't you do us all a favor and lock yourself in your dorm and never leave? It would be a welcomed sight to see you die." he said, walking toward the cafeteria. Bryce chuckled loudly, shaking his head.

"Is it setting in yet? Surely it should have started affecting you by now. The pure concentrated despair that's coursing through your mind. You've already tasted it, and now can't seem to accept it." Bryce said.

"What are you talking about?" Yuno asked, looking back at the architect.

"Oh nothing, I'm just rambling...I just have one thing to ask of you, do you remember your true name?" he asked. Yuno's eyes widened in shock, as the final bell rung. Bryce stood up, a smile on his face.

"Show time." he said, heading toward the court room.

" _Alright kiddies, it's time for this Class Trail to start, and trust me, it's going to be the best one yet. So please start heading toward the red doors on the first floor. Don't be late!"_

Yuno kept walking into the cafeteria, seeing that Nick's body was now hanging down, one of his arms still attached to the wall, his theory on the weapon had been right. The person who had done this had used the Iron Skewer to kill Sakura, of that he was certain now. All he had to do was put the pieces together. He didn't know who it was, but had a pretty good guess on who it could be. Silently, he made his way toward the Court Room, getting ready for the Fourth Class Trial.

 _ **Investigation End**_


	23. Chapter 4 Act 5: Despairing Hopelessness

**A/N: Hello everyone. This is going to be Act 5 of Chapter 4 of the School Life of Mutual Killing. This chapter will contain the Class Trial belonging to the fourth Chapter. I felt that it was too long so I split in half and made it its own Act. It does contain some new conversations as well as a more detailed Class Trial with grammar fixes and the like. I made sure to split everything up neatly so it all looked visually appealing. Tell me what you all think about this chapter as a whole...I will also be posting Act 4 of Hiyoko's side story after this chapter and will be working on Chapter 5 tomorrow and Saturday.**

 **I am also working on the beginning of The School Trip of Mutual Killing. Ultra Despair Girls is sort of annoying me, so I might just skip it and go back later...I dunno...anyway, here's the chapter...**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 4

Act 5

Despairing Hopelessness

 ** _(Deadly Life)_**

Yuno entered the small waiting room, seeing the others had already gathered there. Hina was still crying, hanging onto Kyoko who didn't seem to mind. Everyone else was dead silent, not uttering a single word. The doors opened, and everyone started walking into the elevator, it was a routine now. Walk to the red doors, wait for the elevator to open, step inside, take it down to the court room, and figure out who it was. He just wished it was a routine he didn't have to get used to. He felt Sayaka take his hand, and he kissed her forehead, wrapping his arm tightly around her.

"So...what now? This is the fourth one, are we going to keep doing this?" Leon muttered quietly.

"It's not as if we have a choice. After all we are still playing this game, and it's getting more and more interesting as it goes on." Byakuya said, a smirk on his face.

"How dare you? Didn't your parents teach you to respect the dead? How can you still call this a game?" Hina snapped.

"It is what it is my dear. Start getting used to it, as long as there is a motive to kill, as much as it may hurt there will always be another class trial."

"Why you!"

"Don't...don't give him the satisfaction. It's exactly what he wants." Yuno said, voice sounding dull and lifeless.

Hina nodded, her sadness replaced with nothing but anger towards the Affluent Progeny. Although she was surprised a bit with how he had said it, it seemed as if the rich heir was actually concerned. The elevator finally stopped, and the doors slid open, once again revealing the trial court room, as if by clock work, everyone took their seats. Ryouko looked around oddly, seeing the entire room.

"Whoa...what is this place?" she asked.

"This my dear is the Trial Court Room, this is your first time so welcome. How do you like the décor?" Monokuma asked, taking his place at his throne.

"It's pretty, I like the curtains." she said.

"Well, don't just gawk, take your spot." the bear said, urging her to step it up.

She took the eighteen spot, standing in between two portraits, the one of Taka and the new one that belonged to Sakura.

"Who are these people? Why do they have X's on their faces?" she asked.

"They're our classmates, the ones claimed by this sick game." Makoto replied, earning a quiet Oh from Ryouko. Monokuma slammed his gavel against his arm rest.

"So, we are all here once more to solve the latest murders. Who killed Nick? Who killed Sakura? Was it the same person? Or was it two different people? The exhilarating class trial will now begin."

 _ **Class Trial Start: (All Rise)**_

"Now, because of our new student, I shall explain the rules, and you better write them down because this is your only explanation. Everyone will deliberate and talk about the murder case. Once you are done figuring the case out, everyone will hold a vote to find out who the blackened student is. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be executed, but if you vote wrong, then everyone else will die and the blackened will get off Scot free, and Ten Million Yen richer. Did you get all of that?" Monokuma asked, looking at Ryouko. She gave him a nod, capping her pen afterword.

"I got it all, please proceed." she said.

"Go ahead, entertain me." Monokuma said, leaning back in his seat.

"Alright, let's start this case by discussing Nick's murder first. Nick was found early this morning in the cafeteria, crucified to the back wall. His time of death was 3:45 AM." Byakuya said, reading part of the file that was on his handbook.

"Okay then, let us talk about the murder weapon. It was still lodged in Nick's chest, and was also the cause of all the lacerations on his arms and the stab wounds on his abdomen. It's clear that this was what was used to end his life." Leon said.

"You got that wrong." Makoto said firmly, getting everyones attention.

"Me and Yuno were talking about this when we were examining Sakura's body. The laceration on their faces gives access to the brain, so the stab to the heart wasn't necessarily what ended his life." Makoto said.

"Alright then, if the murder weapon wasn't the dagger, then what was it?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"Do you remember what was holding Nick up to the wall?" Yuno asked.

"Two nails, I wouldn't forget that." the bluenette replied.

"No, what was holding Nick up to the wall was a pair of Iron Skewers, the same kind used to cook large pieces of meat. I looked around the kitchen, but I didn't find the rest of the set." Kyoko said.

"That's because they were never in the kitchen in the first place. Hina, would you tell everyone what you told me in the kitchen earlier today?" Yuno asked, earning a nod from her. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, gathering her thoughts.

"Me...me and Nick usually cooked breakfast in the morning, it wasn't all the time, but every time we had a class trial, I would help him make breakfast, to cheer everyone up. Nick didn't find any use for the skewers, along with a few other things, so he put them all in the storage room." she said.

"So they were taken out of the kitchen and supposedly put away. But two iron skewers were used to crucify him to the wall. You both took them out of the room meaning only you knew their location. Does that mean you were the one that killed him?" Byakuya asked firmly.

"What? How could you say that?" Hina asked.

"It's clearly pointing to you. You just said you put them away, so that means you not only killed Nick, but you strung him up to the wall like a useless puppet. I didn't think you had it in you...honestly." the Affluent Progeny cried.

"Fuck off asshole. I would never kill anyone, why the hell would I do that. I loved him!" she cried.

"Loved him enough to rob him of his life." Bryce said, a smirk on his face.

"Enough! We are here to solve this case, not to point fingers at each other. Hina is innocent of this crime, she's a good natured girl and she wouldn't stoop to murdering someone. Especially a person she was in love with. I don't know who found those skewers but it they were found and they were used." Yuno said. Silence grew among them, and Kyoko decided to continue.

"I was able to find the item used to nail him up to wall. It was one of the table top Microphones from the Music hall. The bottom of it was scratched up and dented, matching the handles of the iron skewers." Kyoko said.

"Seriously? A Microphone stand?" Leon asked.

"This should be enough for everyone to realize that anything and everything can be used as a weapon." Taeko said.

"You of all people should be familiar to that my dear Celeste." Bryce said, making the Gambler scowl.

Leon's grip on his stand tightened a bit, his knuckles turning white. He didn't want that creep anywhere near his girlfriend, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Moving on, Mikan was examining Nick's severed fingers, and told me that they had been abnormally cleaned. She didn't find any dirt or skin cells under the nails, nor did she find traces of sweat on the fingertips, meaning that whoever did this, washed them." Yuno said.

"What the hell is your reasoning? Why would they do that?"Leon asked curiously.

"To get rid of DNA evidence. Now that the Chemistry Lab is open, we can use the chemicals in there to find the results to DNA tests. A Biology Lab would be better of course, but we have the necessary tools in that room. The assailant most likely knew this and washed the fingers off to eliminate this." Kyoko said.

"I also noticed deep scratches on Nick's arms, probably left by the assailant. Nick's left hand was also missing his cooking glove, and I found it odd that no traces of sweat were on his hands. I think the killer washed the hand off first, and then cut the fingers off." Mikan said firmly.

"So, you are saying that all of this was done after he died? That sounds retarded." Bryce snapped.

"It is my theory. It would make sense if the killer removed his DNA off the body before hanging him onto the wall. I also find it odd how those skewers were able to pass through solid tile, and plaster and still be secure enough to hold a human body upright." she said.

" _She does make a good point there. I never noticed this before, but it did strike me as odd. The wall was soft enough for the skewers to pass through, but to be able to keep Nick upright too?"_ Yuno thought.

"I want to add something else, something that I read in Yuno's notebook. Nick's clavicle was broken, he also had four fractured ribs, and the rest of them were broken. His clothes were also all out of place, it seemed as if he had been in a fight." Sayaka said.

"I noticed that too. He had bruises on his face too, so I think he was attacked, an then he was killed." Makoto added.

"I also spotted a bit of blood on one of the round tables, I think that's what caused the laceration to the eye socket. The assailant must have hit Nick pretty hard in order for that to happen. He also gauged his out too, something that was similar with Sakura's murder." Yuno said.

"So, the person who did this not only beat he hell out of Nick, but also did something that gruesome to him? What did he do to deserve that? He was a sweet boy, he didn't mess with anyone." Hina said.

"He was a victim of circumstance. Sadly, it seemed that to the killer, he was at the right place at the right time." Makoto said sadly.

Yuno sighed, looking down at his stand. Was there something he was missing? He was sure he talked about everything. He narrowed his eyes in thought.

" _I did talk about everything...wait...there is that."_

"Guys, I noticed something interesting too. There was a set of footprints on the ground underneath Nick's body. This lead me to believe that he was struck with the table first, it also means that his fingers were cut at this point too." he said.

"How do you figure? The killer could have stepped in the blood after Nick was hung up." Byakuya said.

"You got that wrong!" Makoto said, earning the rich heir's attention.

"I looked at those footprints too, and they were dry. The puddle of blood was on top of the prints. So what Yuno said makes sense, the fingers were cut off while he was unconscious, and the blood came not only from the hand but from the laceration to the head." he said.

"Alright then, it seems we have spoken about everything revolving around Nick's demise, but we haven't found a solid lead on who did it. Does anyone have any ideas?" Taeko asked.

"Well...I was just thinking, if Nick was killed early in the morning, that means someone must have known the time he normally got up to make breakfast. Hina obviously knew the time for the same reason, but I think that the person who did this was used to being in the academy at night." Sayaka said.

"Well, I have been exploring the academy a lot at night, but after the last trial, I decided against it, seeing as I almost died." Yuno said.

"Going back to what Sayaka was saying, the person who did this must have been used to wondering the halls at night. So what if they saw Hina and Nick putting away the skewers? They could have in theory, gotten them and hid them at some point. All of the things that have lead to each murder have taken place a night. The arrows that got Junko killed, the stolen gun, Yuno's attempt at murder, everything took place at night." Leon said.

"That makes sense. So are you saying a night dweller was the one responsible for this? That means it could be any of it. None of us exactly followed the Nighttime rule that Taeko imposed on day one." Byakuya said.

"He's right. A lot of us explore the academy at night, so anyone could be the assailant this time around." Makoto said. Yuno sighed angrily. He flipped through a few pages, not finding anything.

"Oh my, this is all so interesting. The despair on your faces, it's so delicious." Bryce said.

"Christ, shut up!" Sayaka snapped, glaring at the architect.

"We're getting nowhere, let's move on to Sakura's murder. She was found by Kyoko, Byakuya and Asahina on the stairwell to the Fourth Floor. She died from multiple stab wounds to the back, but ultimately it was the wound to the heart that killed her. Her eye socket also sported the same laceration Nick had on his." Yuno said.

"So it was a signature kill?" Leon asked.

"It seems so. Sakura's right eye was gauged out completely, it wasn't even in her skull anymore, the entire right side of her head was shattered, and her nose was broken. She received two stab wounds to the chest, Yuno thinks someone jumped onto her causing the stab wounds to the chest." Kyoko said.

"Additionally, one of the stab wounds to the back severed her spinal cord, which caused her fall down the stairs. Her neck was broken, possibly from smashing her head against the steps." Makoto added.

"Oh god, why would someone do that?" Leon muttered dryly.

"It was like you said before, it was a signature kill. If Nick and Sakura died the same way, then that means the person who did it was exactly the same. A serial killer right?" Ryouko said, speaking for the first time during the trial. She had been busy jotting everything down to remember it.

"That's right." Kyoko said, giving the redhead a small smile.

"Alright, Sakura was stabbed to death, what was the weapon used? Because I didn't see anything up there, not even a speck of blood on the floor." Byakuya said.

"It was one of the iron skewers. Just as the Class trial announcement had started, I took a quick glance into the cafeteria, and one of the skewers keeping Nick up was missing, his body had fallen, hanging by a single hand." Yuno said, he heard Hina's gasp her shoulders started to shake again, but Taeko was quick to comfort her.

"How could it be an iron skewer? How strong do you think the person would have to be to pull that out of the wall?" Byakuya asked.

"Oh, he isn't lying. I looked in the kitchen a couple of times and saw the iron skewer was missing. It was during the time I went to the Storage Room to grab some canned food." Bryce said.

"Was this before or after you went in there?" Sayaka asked.

"After. I was in the same spot all day, ever since I was put to sleep by the Ultimate Gambler." he said, glancing at the black haired girl, who returned his glare with one of her own.

"I don't know how reliable that statement is, but it is something." Yuno said. _"I just want to know what you know about that dream I had."_

"So the Iron Skewer was removed in the period of time Bryce was gone from that spot. Who was in the area at the time?" Kyoko asked.

"I was on the first floor, looking around at the school store to see if anything from the MonoMono machine was used." Leon said.

"I was with him at the time, I saw Sayaka heading toward the Nurse's office." Mikan said.

"Me, Makoto and Yuno were examining Sakura's body at this time, Kyoko, Hina and Byakuya were up there with us." Taeko said.

"That only leaves Ryouko, where we're you at this time?" Byakuya asked, looking at the woman in question.

"I was peeing." the girl replied.

"Um...alright." the man said, looking away from her.

"So no one was around when this happened, too damn convenient if you ask me." Leon said.

"Ryouko, you said you write everything in your notebook because of your memory problems right? Is it alright if I look at today's entrees to see if you indeed were in the bathroom when this happened?" Yuno asked.

"Sure, I don't mind." she said, passing him the notebook. He opened it to the page the pen was tucked in, and kept flipping back, she had everything labeled by the hour.

"Bryce, when was it that you went to grab your food?" Yuno asked.

"Around 12:07, give or take a few minutes." he replied.

"You're being to lenient with this information, where's the clever quip, the insult?" the boy asked, earning a shrug from the Architect.

"The fountain's run dry, if you want another quip toss a coin in. You might just get what you wished for." he said simply. The Archer sighed, shaking his head.

The archer started looking for the time stamp on the notebook. How it was written reminded him of a popular anime he had watched a few years back, detailing the lives of several people and their dairies. It brought a small smile to his face to see something like this. He quickly found the time stamp and read it out loud.

"12:07PM, stuck in the bathroom. Someone forgot to replace the toilet paper, now I have to hobble to the next tall. I should have gone to my dorm." he said.

"Hey, don't just read stuff like that out loud. It's personal." Ryouko cried, a vibrant blush on her face. Her voice in that moment sounded really familiar, but Yuno was too focused on the trial to think about it.

"No one was around? That again seems to convenient, someone is lying, so come clean, one of you clearly is lying." Byakuya said.

"Why would I lie? Yuno just read my journal, everything I write in it is 100 percent true. I may be forgetful but I am not a liar." Ryouko said.

"Clearly it wasn't me. I was gone during that time, getting my food." Bryce said.

" _Just great. One of them is lying and I can't tell which one. I can't trust Ryouko yet, as I don't know her enough for me to put enough trust in her. I definitely can't trust Bryce, not after everything he's done."_

He looked around, focusing at the two teens in question. He didn't know what to do, he had to bait them, but how would he do that?

"If I might ask, why we're you in the A/V room yesterday Bryce?" Kyoko asked, getting a wide eyed look from the teen in question.

"What...what do you mean?" he asked.

"Yesterday, while I was making my way to the fourth floor, I saw you walking into the A/V room. I decided to stick around for a few minutes and heard you screaming, followed by a shattering sound. You also said something about a set up...care to explain?" she asked.

"There is nothing you need to know. I was watching a movie and it was scratched up, so I got pissed and broke it. It was a nice dose of despair." he said.

"A movie? Where the hell did you find a movie?" Leon asked curiously.

"The same place your mom found your dad, at _Walmart._ " Bryce replied, breaking into laughter right after.

"This is serious, answer the question you jack wagon piece of shit. What we're you doing in the A/V Room yesterday?" Yuno asked. Bryce looked at him, giving him a smile.

"Answer my question first, how long are you going to keep this up?" he asked.

"What? Just answer me dude. This isn't a game, two people died." Yuno cried, clearly getting angry.

"I understand that but...you know I realized a lot in these last few days. Hope gives you nothing, nothing at all. All of those feelings, _happiness_ , _joy_ , _longing._..those are all fake. Why would you want to have those emotions? Despair personified is better than all of that combined. I remember...the reason why we are all here, it's to bring despair to the world. Despair by death, by killing our closest friends." he said, a grin on his face.

"Alright, shut yer trap already. Get on with the case." Monokuma snapped, slamming his gavel onto his arm rest. Bryce however ignored him, still looking at Yuno.

"You think you can save them, but you can't even tell them who you are. Stop lying to yourself and come clean already, you aren't the Ultimate Archer, Yunosuke Nagahama never existed in the first place." he said.

"I said that's enough." Monokuma said, glaring at Bryce.

"What the fuck are you talking about man? Have you gone off the deep end? Yuno is real, he's right here with us." Leon said.

"You might think that, but even he is denying it. He doesn't remember his true name, the true reason why we are all here in this academy. You know why we are all here, more than any of us. You've been figuring it out since day one. I can show you more, just join my side, become one with Despair and everything will be revealed." he said, holding his hand out to him.

"Heh, join you? I'm sorry, but I made a promise, a promise that I will keep. I will lead all of us to daylight, and get us all out of this academy. Now why don't you come clean already, it was you that killed Nick and Sakura wasn't it? The missing skewer, it makes sense how it was removed so easily. Mikan said that it was weird that the skewer was strong enough to go through the tile, and the plaster and be strong enough to hold a body in place, the fact of the matter is it's not. The spot where Nick was crucified was fortified by a stud.

If driven with enough force, that skewer could hold his body in place. Who would know where a wooden support stud would be? An architect, someone who has designed buildings in the past. He knows the layout of this academy, top to bottom, he's the _Ultimate_ _Architect_ after all. He could easily draw plans just by looking how everything is designed." Yuno said.

"Wait...how did you even put this together? We didn't have a lead a minute ago and here you are talking as if you had seen the whole thing." Byakuya said.

"That's because it isn't hard to figure out it. The way Bryce was just acting, it's the same as last time, during Chihiro's trial, didn't he also start talking about despair? The joys of accepting it? If he hadn't fallen to despair, he would have kept his mouth shut, but he loves taunting us, he loves seeing our despair, he lives for it. That's why he was trying to make me fall into despair, questioning who I was, lying to us outright. Hell, everything makes sense now." Yuno said firmly.

"Oh, does it?" Bryce asked, a brow raised.

"Yes, the time that Sakura was with us after Ryouko was added into the game, you had spent your time exploring the fourth floor, you could have easily gotten the Microphone stand then. That video you were watching probably inspired this whole thing." Kyoko said.

"The fact that Monokuma also outright told him to stop talking was also a cause for concern. He's directly involved in this. While he can't kill anyone in the game, due to his own personal rules, it doesn't mean he can't tell someone to kill, especially someone who embraced despair. I'm willing to bet he was the one who made that video, to get him to fall deeper into the throws of despair, and the result of that was the deaths of two close friends, two people that didn't deserve to die." Makoto said.

"So...did you do it?" Hina asked, her tone dead and emotionless. Bryce smirked, looking at her, his crimson eyes glowing brightly.

"Are you stupid? Risk my ass in order to get some money? Are you insane?" he asked.

"No one said anything about the money. Not a single time in this case, please tell me you didn't do this for that money?" Kyoko said, looking at him.

"Well, looks like the gig is up. It was me." Bryce said.

"Care to explain then?" Byakuya asked, looking at the young man, who had an indifferent look on his face.

"Why? I'll let the Archer take this one...after all I'm sure he already pieced it together. Finish us off with a good old _**Closing Argument**_."

Yuno sighed, wiping a stray tear from his eyes. He felt Sayaka take his hand, squeezing it firmly. Taking a deep breath, he looked at everyone in the room.

"Here's how I think it happened. Bryce was used to wondering the halls late at night, so he was most likely already aware of what time Nick went to the cafeteria to start breakfast. At some point, he must have seen Nick and Hina coming out of the storage room, where they had placed the skewers. Since he loved messing with people, especially causing murders to happen, he made a mental note of where those skewers were, in case he ever needed them.

However, while he was exploring the Fourth Floor yesterday, Monokuma must have come up to him, enticing him with the offer of the money, and the promise of freedom. He handed him that DVD and Bryce watched it, which is why Kyoko heard and saw him in the A/V room, the contents of that video, who knows. But it's clear that after it was over, he started planning.

He waited for all of us to be asleep, most likely to sneak toward the Music Room so he could get the Microphone stand, as it would be the only thing hard enough to actually drive the skewers through the wall. By the time he got back down to the Hotel Plaza, Nick was already starting on breakfast. He snuck past the cafeteria doors, heading into the Storage Room to retrieve the skewers, as they were essential to this plan. Once in the cafeteria, he put his plan in motion.

He caused a bit of noise, forcing Nick to come out of the kitchen and at this point he took off one of his gloves, most likely to open the kitchen door or something. That's when Bryce attacked, getting behind him he grabbed his head and slammed him into the table, hard enough to cause the laceration to his eye socket. Nick must have passed out at this point, which allowed Bryce to work without a struggle.

He probably started beating the shit out of him at this point, kicking him hard with his boots, breaking most of his ribs and breaking his clavicle. Nick probably woke up at this point, but was in too much pain to even move. This is probably where Bryce pulled out that dagger, and used it to stab him. The pain was probably enough to make him stand up, which got some blood on the floor, and that's how the footprints got there.

While Nick was standing, Bryce pushed him against the wall, stabbing him for a second time. Nick tried gabbing him, but this in turn made Bryce slice his fingers off. This is also when Bryce pulled out the first skewer, he broke his nose, stunning him enough to stab the skewer through his hand and the wall, where he used the microphone stand to hammer it in. while Nick was most likely freaking out, Bryce nailed his other hand to the wall. The pain must have made Nick pass out at this point, most likely for the final time.

From here, Bryce stabbed Nick eleven more times, as well as leaving all of those lacerations on his legs and on his arm. After Nick was dead, Bryce gauged his eye out. After he was done, he stabbed the dagger into his body, leaving it there as a memento, probably a calling card or something. He grabbed Nick's fingers, washed them thoroughly getting all of his DNA off of them, and then placed them back, he probably did this with Nick's hand too, getting rid of all of the sweat, and then smearing a bit of blood onto it. As for the clothes he used, their most likely in his dorm room.

Skip ahead to the investigation, Bryce had been knocked out by Taeko, so he had been out of it for awhile, though I'm sure by the time I passed out he was already up. When I was taken to the Nurse's office, he moved to grab some food, but was most likely followed by Sakura, as it had fallen to her to keep an eye on him. He didn't like this, as he had been dealing with it for the better half of a week, and started making a plan to get rid of her too.

I don't know exactly when it was, but Bryce managed to slip away, and pull out the skewer holding Nick's left hand to the wall. He was able to do it with ease because the left hand skewer wasn't driven into a reinforced stud. He must have moved toward the Fourth Floor, with the false pretense of wanting to explore it. When she had her backed turned, he jumped on top of her, stabbing her twice in the heart. Sakura, being the Ultimate Wrestler, easily threw him off, but the damage was done, she had already been stabbed. She was probably trying to get help when he came up behind her, stabbing her 9 times in the back, with one of them being directly in the spine.

He knocked her down the stairs, using her own weight against her, her head hit the step, snapping her neck, she was dead instantly. However, Bryce didn't want to take any chances, so he bashed her head into the step, over and over again, until he was able to gauge her eye out, and stab her directly in the brain. Once he was done, he made his way down the stairs before anyone noticed. He might have ditched his bloodied clothes somewhere, or had clean clothes underneath, because by the time I made it back to the Plaza, he was sitting right where I had last seen him. There's no doubt about it, Bryce Kotenok is the killer this time around." Yuno said, finishing the closing argument.

"Very well, there were a few details in there that were missing, but pretty much it's just as you said. I congratulate you. Whatever the case, I may be guilty, but I still get out of this Scot free. I did as you asked of me Mono Dude, fork up the money." he said, looking at Monokuma. The bear smirked, standing up.

"Alright then, it's time for the vote to start. In front of you are the levers, pull them to cast your votes." he said.

"What...what are you doing? You said that I could go free if I killed someone, you promised me that money." Bryce said, angrily glaring at Monokuma, the bear turned to him, a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry Bryce, but I never said there wouldn't be a vote now did I?" he asked.

The architect's eyes widened, as he looked around everyone shared the same look, all of them pulling the lever at the same time. The slot machine rose up, stopping when it showed Bryce's face. The clapping filled his ears, as Monokuma rose his gavel in the air.

"You are correct! Bryce Kotenok is the culprit." he said.

 _ **(Class Trial End: All Rise)**_

"For all intents and purposes, I hope you rot in hell you animal." Hina said, kneeing the architect right in the balls. He gasped in pain, dropping to his knees.

"Monokuma, you bastard, you lied to me." he said, looking at the monochrome bear.

"No, I didn't lie to you, I just withheld information. You should know, no one gets away from my game. The despair on your face is amazing, but it isn't enough. That video you watched yesterday, there was a bit of missing audio, direct yourself to the screen." Monokuma said, pointing to the monitor in the room.

It turned on, showing the video that he had seen the day before, the one that showed his mother, just before he stabbed her, he heard her voice.

"Bryce...why are you doing this? Did you fall to despair too? Like those other kids?" she asked.

"Don't talk, you know what you did bitch. You never loved me, just like dad never loved me, but you'll be paying for it soon enough." the man said, now being revealed as Bryce. The video cut to the end, once the woman was already dead, he dropped the baseball bat, and looked at the screen.

"I did it. You better be happy about this _J._ "

The video suddenly cut out, the monitor turning black. Everyone looked at Bryce, who was staring at the screen wide eyed. For a second, his eyes flashed back to their normal hazel color, before becoming crimson once more.

"No...I...didn't. I don't remember doing that...I didn't do that. My mother was kidnapped...I can't...no."

"That is one hundred percent you Bryce. Did you like it? I made sure the copy I gave you was free of all unnecessary sound, that way if you ever watched the original your despair would be genuine. You wanted to get revenge on the man that killed your mother and you have, you killed someone, and thus you earned yourself an execution. Pat yourself in the back." Monokuma said.

"NO! I will get out of this academy! You Promised I would." he shouted, standing up. He glared at Yuno, his eyes glowing brightly.

"It was you. You did this...it was always you...I want you to die _Hisashi_!" he snapped, jumping straight at Yuno. Monokuma had grown sick of it, so he slammed his gavel onto the starting button.

 _ **Bryce Kotenok was Found Guilty: Preparing Execution**_

A chain shot out of the back wall, wrapping around his neck. He tried reaching for Yuno's face, missing it by a few inches as it pulled him back. It dragged him through several empty hallways, and through a chain link fence. The chain let go of the young man, making him slam into the ground. He stood up shakily, looking around, seeing the sand on the ground, as well as the frame of what would be a building. His eyes widened, seeing that he was on a construction site.

 _ **Architect's Heaven**_

Bryce looked around, fear written on his face, he was still confused at what had just happened. A large roll of blueprints fell down behind him, causing him to look back. As it started unrolling, he broke into a sprint, trying to avoid being crushed by the roll. He ducked underneath the frame of the building sighing with relief. A loud whistle sounded through the area, and he noticed several Monokuma workers pouring into the construction yard, ready to start building. He didn't notice that he was on a conveyor belt and was suddenly jerked forward. He tried reaching for the metal beam, but was too late, as the belt dropped him into a churning vat of cement.

One Monokuma drove the truck forward, and turned the vat on. It spun around rapidly, swirling so fast that thick globs of cement started flying out of the inside. After a few minutes of mixing, Monokuma turned it off, and tipped the vat, pouring the cement into a mold. Bryce landed in the center of it, face up and unable to move. He tried to scream, but the cement in his throat had blocked his throat, so he was starting to choke. As he was about to lose consciousness, he saw for the final time, a large house being lifted over him with a crane. The chain snapped, landing on top of Bryce, killing him instantly. Several Monokuma's raced over to the building, looking around to see if Bryce was still alive, but the large pink blood splatter mixed with the cement told him that he wasn't. That was the end of the Ultimate Architect.

"Well everyone that's that. A shame too, if he had been found innocent, he would have gotten out of here with a lot more money than he started with. Well, now he's designing houses for the big man in the sky, and who knows? Maybe Nick is in his kitchen making him breakfast in bed." Monokuma said, breaking into laughter.

"Why? Why would you do that? Give him a false promise, show him a video of his own mother being murdered, by him no less? Couldn't you just condemn him to death and be done with it?" Yuno asked.

"Oh please, you can't say for a second that you pity him. Sure, I baited him with a freshly baited hook, but he was the one who bit down on it, and he believed my lie hook, line and sinker. A real shame, I was hoping he would be able to design a new house for me." He said.

"There is one thing I don't understand in all of this, why did you bait him in the first place? For what purpose?" Byakuya asked.

"Hmm? That was simple, the best kind of Despair is the Despair you get from watching someone's loved one die. He not only watched his mother die, but he found out he had killed her too. The agony, the guilt, the realization, too bad I couldn't feel it personally. He was a twisted excuse of a man, all the way to the end. A twisted excuse of a man who couldn't keep his mouth shut." he said.

"So, that means you know what he was talking about then. About what's wrong with me? Tell me the truth, tell all of us the truth, why are we here? Why are my memories of this place coming back in fragments? Who are you and what did you do to us?" Yuno asked.

"I can't answer those questions yet. You want to find out the truth, then figure out the mystery of Hope's Peak Academy, after all that is what you want? Right _Hisashi_?" he asked.

" _Hisashi_? My name is Yuno." the young man snapped.

"Keep telling yourself that. Well kiddies, it's time to go back upstairs, for another fun filled night in the academy, Au Revior for now."

"This is goodbye, because I'm not coming back into this court room, I'm done with this little game of yours. You've been playing us for far too long Monokuma, I will figure out a way out of here, and I will bring the person who's controlling you and bring them to justice."

"As am I, I have seen right through you. You wish to gain despair from us, by forcing us to play this sick twisted game. Well, that will no longer happen, I respectfully bow out of this game." Byakuya added, his look firm.

"Although I am one never to allow a game to beat me, I will also be forfeiting. I have never lost a game in my life, but for once...I will admit defeat. Sacrificing the lives of my friends, that's a hand that I will never play." Taeko said firmly. Monokuma grit his teeth in anger.

"You think you can stay away from here? Well I await your challenge. You will return to this court room, you can't stay away from it. It's inevitable, one of you will be on the chopping block soon enough, and you'll be forced to come down here, or else you'll face punishment." he said with a wide toothy grin.

With that, Monokuma disappeared, forcing all of the survivors to head back to the elevator. No one said a word, all of them still thinking about everything that happened. The bell dinged, and they all exited the small room, going back toward the Hotel Plaza. Yuno however remained in the hallway, still thinking everything over.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Sayaka asked.

"What he said back there...do you think Bryce was actually telling the truth? About knowing the reason why we are here?" he asked.

"He was delusional, probably talking shit due to the fact he was betrayed." she said.

"He said he knew the reason why we were here, it was to bring despair to the world. That is the real reason why we are locked in here." he said.

"Oh, and you really think the government would allow that? 17 innocent kids forcefully locked in a high school and forced to kill each other, to bring despair to the world? That sounds asinine Yuno, you know it, and I know it.

Look, I know what's going on, you're tired, hungry and stressed out, I am too. I got a killer headache, and I've been getting cramps all day. Let's just go back to our dorms and get some rest, alright love?" she said. He sighed, nodding firmly. He took her hand in hers, allowing her to guide him back toward their dorm.

" _I can't just shake the feeling that what Bryce said was true. Then again, Sayaka is right. 17 people being locked up in an academy, to bring despair to the world? That sounds crazy and stupid...the government wouldn't allow that. That's why I can hear those sounds from the outside...they're mounting a rescue. It's the only thing I can say for certain...those anti-tank rifles will pierce through these panels one day, and we'll all be free. For now, I have to work on getting out of here and figuring out the true reason of why all of us we're brought here."_

 _ **xxx**_

Even after everything that had happened, Kyoko's mind was abuzz with activity. This whole trial, it felt like a set up. Bryce being given that disc, which contained a video of him murdering his own mother, tricking him with the money, the sounds of guns outside, and the fact that Monokuma had outright told Bryce to shut up during the trial...it all pointed to one thing. The Mastermind was getting desperate.

The pincer attack on the outside must have been driving them closer to the edge, and that's why she pushed Bryce into killing someone, enticing him with money, with the fake promise that he could find his mother's killer, it was all that the architect needed to follow his instructions, and that had proven his downfall.

One of the major players had been taken out of the game, and everyone now felt a wave of relief wash over them, but she knew it was far from being over.

The mention of her brother's name was what struck her the most. Bryce had called Yuno by that name, and so had Monokuma, the two had been eluding to something, and she desperately wanted to know what it was. That's why she had immediately come to the Fourth Floor. The main reason she had been up there during the investigation, was to start her own little experiment. She walked into the Chemistry Lab, ignoring the scent of the chemicals permeating through the room.

Without missing a step, she walked toward the back of the room, opening a single drawer, where she had hidden her experiment. Inside was a gray tin, filled with water and a mixture of solvents. She carefully picked the tub out of the drawer, placing it next to the sink. Carefully, she grabbed the sheet of paper that was in the solution, it being the same profile she had found in the hidden room on the second floor.

She placed it in the sink, running the tap water over it for a few seconds. The ink washed away, along with most of what was written on the paper, but she had already copied it down in her notebook. She grabbed a pair of tweezers, placing them under the corner of Yuno's picture. Carefully grabbing it, she started pulling it off, the glue that had been keeping the picture in place had dissolved enough for her to move it.

When she was done, she set the picture aside, taking a look at the one left behind. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, dropping the tweezers in her hand.

"But that's...if that's the real Yuno...then...who is the one inside the academy with us?"

 _ **xxx**_

"So...it seems like Bryce got the ball rolling. Even if he said a little too much information, I think the next few days are going to make or break this entire thing. Now that Yuno has supposedly quit, that means there won't be anymore murders. Knowing him, he'll use his Hope to talk everyone else into agreeing with him. Damn it, why the fuck did it turn out like this? It was too much of a set up." Junko cried, slamming her fists onto the panel before her.

She had accidentally pressed the buttons that would fire hundreds of missiles at those outside of the academy. She grinned, seeing all of the explosions.

"Everything will be fine. It isn't as if all of the answers will be magically given to them...then again that vaccine is already taking effect within Yuno's subconscious. It won't be long until he fully falls into despair, and everything he has worked for turns against him. The despair will be absolutely wonderful. Still, seeing Bryce as he lost every shred of hope in his being when he was found guilty, it was priceless." she said, spinning around in her chair. She grinned, leaning back into it.

"To think that one boy would throw this game off course the way it did. In a different world, in a different universe, I bet it would have gone differently, and the despair would be even more entertaining. But, it is what it is."

Alarms started sounding all around her, and she quickly turned around, brows furrowed. Walking over to the panel displaying the outdoor camera footage, she glanced at the radar, which had been scanning all vehicles since the day the academy had been sealed, nothing had ever appeared on it, but now it showed several dots coming straight at her, in a V formation.

She smirked, looking at the screens in front of her, just over the horizon, she could see a squadron of F-16's, all being lead by a sleek black F-15 Eagle, which had neon blue wings, along with the markings for the Japanese Flag on them.

"So, the _Ultimate_ _Pilot_ is returning to the academy? Too bad, it's not as if he can get his pilots license again. I'll be sure to give them all a warm welcome." she said, pressing a glowing button near the radar.

Another panel appeared next to her, opening to reveal six key slots. Reaching into her top, she pulled out a key ring. Jingling it, she removed the six keys she needed, slipping them into the appropriate slots and turning them with a flick of the wrist. A new button appeared, underneath it was a bright label, with the words Aerial Countermeasures written on it.

She giggled, pressing the button with a single finger. The alarms started ringing even louder, and if the room wasn't soundproof she was sure everyone in the academy would have heard them. All around her, several rockets and heat seeking missiles shot into the air, aiming toward the squadron that was fast approaching. She saw all of the dots start to scatter, trying to avoid all of the projectiles, only to fail entirely. One by one, every single jet was blown out of the sky.

"Silly Pilots, Planes are for Adults!" she exclaimed.

Her joke fell flat though, and she looked toward the screens that showed the inside of the academy. She noticed one of her cameras wasn't showing an image.

"Well, it seems Yuno found a loophole to my camera rule...eh, I'll let them have it, after that last trial, I'm sure the sex is welcome. I know for a fact Sayaka will love it." she said, a light blush on her face.

She spared a glance to the outdoor cameras, her eyes widening a bit. She could see Hiyoko standing out there, glaring at one of the cameras, it's as if she was glaring straight at her, looking into her soul. She noticed Sonia Nevermind standing beside her, along with a few other students belonging to Class 79.

"What the hell? I thought that bitch was in Novoselic, killing her people...no...that's it...it was _Daisuke._..that bastard saved her from Despair. If that's true, then who the fuck is in Novoselic right now?"

She took a deep breath...calming herself down.

"It doesn't matter. Novoselic is about to die, so it matters not. Whatever they do, they can't get into this academy. Kazuichi made certain of that, and so did Bryce. After all those two worked together to strengthen the walls. Idiots...both of them. Whelp, I best start preparing the Fifth Floor, it's going to be a wonderful day." she said to herself.

As she walked toward the Monokuma control room, she didn't see the camera to the Headmaster's office getting destroyed.

 _ **End of Chapter 4**_

 _ **Remaining Students 11**_


	24. In the Event of My Demise (Hiyoko Side)

**A/N: Well, after the uh...longest most despair filled chapter that was Chapter 4 Act 4, I bring you a more lighthearted chapter, from the point of view of Hiyoko. You'll get to see her reaction to the previous murder as well as few other things here and there, so I hope you like it. I was going to take a break after writing that long ass chapter, but I couldn't do it. I already have to many things I want to add to Chapter 5 that I said, fuck it. I'll write the Hiyoko chapter and get it over and done with. Chapter 5 will be the one that has the most acts, either that or it will have long acts and less parts total, I haven't decided but all of the pieces are starting to line up and the truth behind Hope's Peak Academy is starting to come together, just because Bryce is gone doesn't mean there still won't be a reason to despair, there will be a lot more of it, especially now that Yuno and Kyoko are so close to the truth. There will also be some...sexy chapters, for all you naughty dogs out there, sorry for the blue balls by the way, with that fan service in act 3. I digress...**

 **So, I just saw the latest two part Episode of Pokemon XYZ and let me say, holy shit it was awesome. I came into the Flare Arc a bit salty after the travesty that was Ash's loss in the league, but this one blew me away, seeing all that shit go down, man. It was great, not going to spoil it or anything, but the Gym leaders went ham, if you are a fan, definitely give it a watch.**

 **I also saw the Pokemon Sun and Moon Anime trailer and let me say, I was...um...not let down but...I'm not happy about it either. Lillie looks beautiful, definitely my waifu for the season, along with maybe Mallow and Lusamine, but Ash looks...too childish, coming out of XYZ, he's heading straight into another Black and White season. The whole school thing Is pissing me off too, it feels like that Summer episode from XY but turned into a whole season. All I am hoping for is that they actually travel around more while going to school every so often, but right now I'm not excited for it. I mean no Gyms? I could deal with that, especially if they replaced them with the Island Trials, it would have been great to have that as a basis, but as of now I can't say I am happy. I'll have to wait until November to see it, let's just hope that it does better in the two premier episodes than Black and White did with it's first season. Going into XY i was hesitant, but seeing Ash risk his life for Pikachu, it just gave me that sense of excitement that I got from the original series, I felt like a little kid again, when I used to watch the series with my father shortly before he passed away, it made me happy, and I watched every episode the second it came out, even if it wasn't subbed or anything. Every character, every Gym leader, hell even Team Rocket made me happy, and I connected with it. I just hope they don't jump the gun with Sun and Moon and it will give me that excitement again.**

 **Well then, talking about Pokemon in a Danganronpa story, how Ironic, something so happy and filled with hope in a story filled with nothing but despair.**

 **Well, I am posting this shortly before watching the newest Zetzubou-Hen episode, so I am going in blind. My body is ready, but my mind isn't...and I honestly can't wait. Thrills...Chills...Kills..I can't wait for it all. So, without further adoo, I give you the newest Hiyoko Side story chapter.**

 **Update: 6/29/17 Hiyoko's Side Story Act 4 has been edited and re uploaded. This contains various grammatical fixes as well as continuity fixes. It also contains various dialogue fixes as well as some new added content.**

 **Note: There are some things discussed by Hiyoko and Sonia that didn't happen in The End of Hope's Peak Academy: Zetsubou-Hen...but just for the sake of the story, pretend they did. After all I didn't write about every waking moment of Class 77B's day...there's stuff that's bound to happen off camera...**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Hiyoko Side

Act 4

In the Event of My Demise

" _No...Please I didn't even do anything to you."_

" _I don't give a shit. Do you think I care? Do you think I give a shit about you? Your life is worthless to me, completely fucking worthless. But you know what they say. Better you, than me!"_

" _AAAAHHHHH, Jesus Christ...WHY?"_

" _You deserve this, for ignoring me every morning, for never making me breakfast, for not seeing things my way. All of this pain, all of this agony and despair, you deserve it all, and you'll take it to the grave with you. You'll enjoy every second of this."_

Hiyoko tore her eyes away from the screen, screams still filling her head. She couldn't stop herself from crying anymore, she had run out of tears to shed and yet she continued to cry. The pure despair she was feeling, there was nothing that could compare to this. The loud metallic clang of the microphone hitting the skewer, it hurt her ears, and ground itself into her very soul.

She spared a glanced back at this screen, eyes threatening to fly out of her sockets. Nick's screams of agony filled the room once more, as Bryce pulled the dagger from his abdomen, before plunging it back, quenching its thirst for blood. Nick finally stopped screaming, the pain being too much for him. His head slumped down, just as Bryce lifted the dagger above his head, once last time.

" _Asahina...I'm sorry. I never told you this...but there was another woman...please...forgive me."_

Bryce finally ended his life, plunging the dagger into his heart. He gasped in pain, before falling limp, never to move again. Bryce took a step back, admiring his work. He started laughing, looking at the blood on his hands. He tried wiping it on his shirt, but it was too much, and instead he rubbed the blood onto his face, looking directly at the camera.

" _I did it, I finally did it. You see that mastermind? I killed him, that means I get to go free right? That means I get to find the person who killed my mom right? Right? No matter, this kill is to gruesome for them to tie to me. I'll get away Scot free, and I'll be able to find that bastard."_

Sonia walked over to the television station, shutting off all of the screens. She couldn't take it anymore, what she had just witnessed was cruel. Too cruel for anyone to experience. She knew no one was spared in this new world, but did it have to be that gruesome? Nick didn't have to suffer. She turned back, looking at the rest of the Remnants of Hope, who had the same horrified looks on their faces. Taking a deep breath, she walked in front of them, giving them a firm look.

"What you all just witnessed was the effects of Junko Enoshima's influence. It takes a sane person, and completely warps their way of thinking, it fucks them up, and what you get is what you just saw on screen. I'm not gonna lie, I've seen it up close. I saw the same video Bryce watched, it was the same one that turned my classmates into mindless killing machines. What turned me and Hiyoko into mindless killing machines. But Daisuke saved me, he saved me from becoming a mindless monster like that. He saved Hiyoko from falling deeper into despair, and that's the reason we are attacking the Future Foundation tonight. We can save the Ultimate Despairs, he's the only one who can, he's the only one whoever could. His stories can change the world, and as I see it, he is the final hope of this dying world."

"How can we fight against something like that?" one of the Reserve Course students asked firmly. She looked at the young man, a smile on her face.

"You've been fighting it since day one. The day that everything changed, was the day you all found out the truth behind what the academy was doing with your tuition fees. You could have joined the crowd, but you didn't...you are all here, you all avoided Despair, and survived the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. 267 Reserve Course students took their lives that fateful morning, and the academy in turn was closed down. That's when everything started to shift into what it is now, and with the production of the Monokuma units, the world ended in the favor of despair.

You could have joined it, but you didn't and now it's time to fight back. You aren't Reserve Course students anymore, you are full fledged students of Hope's Peak Academy, you are all the Ultimate Hope, the survivors of the old world. And as the Ultimate Hope, we must do everything in our power to set them free, we have to right what is wrong, and then the world will be changed. A new blinding hope will be created, in the ashes of despair and the world will start anew."

"She's right, Princess Sonia is right, she gave us our titles, and gave us these uniforms. We have to do our part, and fight back, Despair has been reigning for far too long, its time to set them free."

"Yeah!"

Sonia smiled, looking at all of her workers and friends. One of the many things she excelled in was speeches, she was always able to rile the masses up and fill them with hope. Her talent as the Ultimate Princess had proved useful, and had given them the strength to fight back.

"Alright then soldiers, suit up, we are going to the Snake Pit, the Future Foundation headquarters is filled with operatives of every kind, including former Ultimate Students, we can't be deterred by this, we have to give it our all and rescue Daisuke Del Rio, at all costs, even if It costs us our lives." Kazuto said, earning a loud cry in return.

He gestured to the door, and all of the soldiers started filing out the door, heading down toward the Armory to suit up and grab their weapons.

"I was able to get in touch with the remainder of the Yakuza, we have their full support." Natsumi said, earning a nod from Sonia.

"I was able to get a confirmation from the Air Force, Tatsumi will be leading the Squadron. They will be ready to attack tomorrow afternoon. We'll be able to do some heavy damage to the academy, maybe enough to gain access into the building. No one will have to die." Misa said, getting a loud bark from her dog Rex, who was wearing a special armor to protect him from being shot. Even the Ultimate Dog was ready for war.

"Did you get in touch with Marie Rose? It falls on her to actually let us into the building." Sonia said.

"Yes, she will be meeting us half a mile from the headquarters as it is out of their range of detection. We won't be able to get there via vehicle, so we'll have to be very careful about how we approach them. She said that there is a secret tunnel that connects to the underwater building, where Daisuke is being held. Once we are inside the building, we'll have to be quick. Shoot everyone in sight and leave no one awake, I already told everyone to load the special ammunition, so no one will have to die. However, if you see any of the Branch Heads, shoot to kill, I can't have you all dying in there." Sonia said.

"Isn't one of them your old teacher?" Natsumi asked.

Sonia looked away, glancing at the academy from where she stood. She clenched her hand, her knuckles turning white, though they couldn't be seen due to the black gloves she was wearing.

"Like I said, shoot to kill. Even if she is my teacher, she has lost my trust, especially with what her supposed best friend has been doing to our classmate. Besides, She's an Ultimate Despair, I can't have her getting in the way." she said. Hiyoko looked at her oddly, and she matched her look with a glare.

"What? Do you doubt me?" she asked.

"I'm not going to say anything Sonia. We are all dealing with a lot, but we can't stoop to Junko's level. She may be our old teacher, but what happened to her isn't her fault...poor thing doesn't even know it yet. If you see Munakata though, feel free to shoot him. I could care less about his ass." she said, earning a nod from Natsumi and Misa.

"Akira, can you handle the general maintenance of our mainframe?" Sonia asked, looking to the back of the room, where the Ultimate Cyber Technician stood. She gave her a thumbs up, not tearing her eyes away from the screen in front of her.

"I'm running a check on the force field as we speak and I also have one of my droids running repairs on it as well as mounting all new weapons on the side of the building. I also increased the strength of our satellite signal so it can't be hacked." She said.

"Great, I leave the headquarters to you. Let's suit up girls." Sonia said, looking at her friends.

"I'll catch up, I need some time alright?" Hiyoko said, glancing at the window. Sonia nodded, giving her a tight hug.

"Take all the time you need, I'll come get you if when we have to leave." she said. Once she was done, the blonde let out a sigh, walking toward the nearest window. She placed her hand on the glass, looking at the ground.

"Ruruka, I couldn't keep my promise...how am I going to face you now? I promised you I would save him, that I would get him out of that academy alive. I'm so useless."

"You aren't useless Hiyoko." Akira murmured, standing next to the blonde. Hiyoko jumped a bit, still not used to her unnatural speed. She looked away for a second, not knowing what to say.

"You aren't useless and you aren't helpless either. What happened on that show, it was inevitable. All of them we're subjected to that game and they all knew they could die at any given second. Deep down, I'm sure Nick knew that too."

"But it's unfair. I've seen so much death, felt so much despair, I caused half of it...why does it just keep happening? Why does she just keep twisting the knife?"

"Because that's just how Junko is. She is cunning, analytic and good at what she does. She talked Ryouta into creating that video, she convinced the Steering Committee into letting her and her sister into the school, hell she even assumed control of Japan after killing the Prime Minister. It's the way it is...some people just...like to see the world burn." she said sadly.

Looking back at the academy, she could see the new mounted weaponry that had been added, due to the optic implants she had given herself. She could see farther and clearer. The fact that it had been Kazuichi that had installed them really hit her hard.

"That's not a valid reason. People like that shouldn't exist in this world, someone who loves causing death like that...that can't be possible." Hiyoko said.

"She was a troubled kid, even though she was a cunning manipulator and an excellent liar, she did tell the truth at times. She was abandoned by everyone around her, save for her sister, though she thought her sister had abandoned her as well. She was confused, and she didn't understand how the world worked. Somewhere along the line, her hope became despair, and she turned into what she is today.

I'm not trying to make you understand her, far from it actually. I just want you to see how fragile something, how fragile _someone_ can be. Hope and Despair, it's just two sides of the same coin. Yin and Yang, something that needs to be balanced. The scales have tipped far onto the other side, so it's time we struck back." she said firmly.

"How will we do that? I trust our soldiers, but can we really get into the Future Foundation headquarters unscathed?"

"Are you seriously asking that question Hiyoko? Christ, you walked into Hope's Peak Academy's plaza. You've killed multiple Monokuma units, hell you broke into the Neuroscience Lab and brought us the biggest piece of hope yet. I've already started plans on the Neo World Restoration Program. All we have to do now, is put our hope in them, and let them escape the academy. With their help, we'll be able to finish this project, and we'll save your classmates." she said firmly.

"Thank you Akira, I needed that kick in the ass. But still...I suppose I got used to the fact that Daisuke was dead, and now that I know he's alive, I'm worried that he'll get hurt." she said.

"Then, allow me to diminish your worries." she said, raising one of her mechanical arms.

She flicked her wrist, opening a panel and typing in several commands on her key pad. A small beeping was heard, and a large robotic canister flew into the room, landing right beside Akira. She walked over to it, sliding a single finger into the port on the front. The top of it opened, a bit of steam coming out of it.

"I know you aren't a fighter, but you have massive amounts of stamina, due to your talent as the Traditional Dancer, your legs are your primary weapons, so I was able to create something that could give you a boost." she said, giving the blonde a bright grin.

She pressed another button, and the robotic canister opened up, turning into a large table. On it, was what looked like a pair of cybernetic legs. They were a smooth black in color, with thin glowing lines, which were glowing a bright neon green in color. The didn't look much different than her normal cybernetic limbs, but Hiyoko could tell these were way different than what she normally saw on the Cybernetic Technician.

"These are a prototype I've been working on. I took all of the tests I ran back when I was still in Hope's Peak Academy, from the top athletes. I was able to gauge their leg strength, speed and stamina, finding that the Ultimate Track Racer, the Ultimate Long Distance Jumper, and of course the Ultimate Swimmer, had the strongest legs in the academy. Combining those results, I was able to create these." she said.

"Um...Alright, but what do they do?" She asked, looking at the redhead.

She grinned widely, sliding her finger across the table. The cybernetic legs opened up, showing all of the internal components, which were glowing green. She heard several mechanical sounds whirling within, and saw a few buttons flashing brightly.

"These prototype legs attach to your own, mimicking every single muscle movement that you'll possibly ever have. They will increase your speed by 25%, without causing the body strain. You'll be able to run faster, swim farther, and jump higher than a normal human being, all without getting tired. Those with natural stamina reserves get to experience more from these, as they will be able to do more at half the time it would normally take. You could run five miles with these and feel like you only ran three blocks. I also installed jet boosters on the bottom of them to give the wearer a bit of oomph when they jump." she said.

"Wow, that sounds really helpful. What was their original purpose?" she asked.

"These were supposed to be for people who wished to participate in the Paralympics. People who were missing limbs or just didn't have natural stamina reserves like other athletes. They were designed to make those people have a sense of accomplishment, and feel like they belonged in our society. Of course, you know how well that turned out." she said, feeling a bit depressed. She sighed, forcing a smile onto her face.

"However, the design got a true purpose, and thanks to the funding Musashi graciously provided me, along with the best Physicists and Scientists, we were able to bring them to life. They haven't been tested yet, and since you are going to be risking your life out there, I figured you would be able to use them. You get a little extra strength, and I get to see the results in action, it's a win for both of us." she said.

"Are you sure you want me to try these? These are a prototype right?"

"Indeed, they were very expensive to make, probably wasted more money than I'll ever see in my life time. But desperate times call for desperate measures. So they are yours, even after the tests are done, you can keep them. However, I won't be allowing you to just take that. I also developed another gadget that I want you to try out." she said.

Turning to the mechanical looking table, she began typing something on it's surface, willing another robotic canister to show up into the room, it opened up, and a cybernetic arm came out.

The arm, looked similar to the legs in design, but instead of being a smooth black color, it was a light orange color, still having the same green glow. The top of the arm looked like it had a small computer built into it, and there was a round glowing button on the palm. The knuckles also seemed to open up, and Hiyoko wondered just what was built into them. Akira reached for the arm, pulling it from the canister. She placed it on the table, next to the legs.

"Have you seen the movie Iron Man?" she asked curiously.

"Ugh, several times. Daisuke dragged me to the theater when it was playing here, I don't understand his fascination with American movies, but he said he loved it. I suppose I did like it myself, just a tad." she said, a small blush appearing on her face.

"Fantastic! This arm works in the same manner, it will attach to your arm, and allow you to fire concentrated energy blasts from the palm reactor. All you have to do is focus on it, this one attaches to the nerves in your arm so it can fully function."

"Whoa wait a minute...did you say nerves? This thing stabs into me?" she asked.

"Sadly yes, this is still in its testing phase, but the other beta testers were able to use it to the fullest of their abilities. Noire was able to hit every target set up, and she couldn't stop raving about it. She is the Ultimate Beta Tester after all, if her word isn't valuable, then I don't know what is. After spending the funding on the legs, I didn't have enough materials to use muscle scanning technology. It'll be a little painful, but you'll get used to it after awhile. It also locks down onto your arm, so it won't be removed unless you want it to be removed." she said.

"A steep price for getting a lot of power. What else can it do?" she asked.

"Well, this model connects to your nervous system, like I said before. It also sends signals through your nerves into you brain, allowing you to hear incoming radio signals. You'll also be able to see heat signatures. The top of it opens up and you'll be able to fire off two special rockets that will disintegrate anything on impact, but you only get two so use them wisely. This also needs to be charged, so if you ever feel it run out of energy, just plug it into any power outlet or power control box and it'll be recharged, hell you can even get energy from touching other electronics. Provided an EMP isn't fired into the atmosphere that is. If that happens, their backup solar panels will activate, but with how the skies are, I doubt you'll get pure sunlight into it, enough to make it work again at least." she said.

Hiyoko looked at the devices in front of her, weighing her options. On one hand, she could go to the Future Foundation alone, and potentially lose, more than a limb in fact. She was going to be fighting a lot of people, in order to get her fiancee out of there. On the other hand, Akira was providing her with the most futuristic devices currently known to man, prototypes, but still the most advanced cybernetic limbs she had created. And while the pain she would feel when the arm stabbed into her nervous system didn't appease her, she would much rather have the limbs with her and win, over not having them and losing. Nodding to herself, she took her blazer off, tossing it aside.

It was the Future Foundation uniform, one that she didn't really care about. She remained in her white tank top, her breasts bouncing a bit as she pulled the shirt out of her shorts and fixed it. She took off her charm bracelet, moving it from her left wrist to her right. Grabbing the cybernetic limb, she looked at the inside, seeing all of the flashing lights.

"This will only hurt momentarily right?" she asked.

"Yes, only for about five to ten seconds. Some people don't even feel the pain, others said it was like getting their arm was severed. Try not to think about it." she said, hovering her hand over the limb, willing it to open up.

Hiyoko swallowed hard, holding it up to her arm. She placed the limb on, holding it against her arm. As if by instinct the device closed, and instantly she felt the needles stab into her skin, tapping into her nervous system. She screamed in agony, almost falling to her knees, though Akira held her upright. Tears had welled in her eyes, and she bit her lip, in order to stop the stream of swears threatening to come out. True to her word, the pain had subsided after a few seconds. She held her arm up, moving her hand around. She closed her hand and opened it a few times, hearing the small computerized sounds it was making.

"How does it feel?" Akira asked.

"It feels...weird...and strangely warm. It's as if it was my own human arm, it doesn't feel any different." she said.

"Hmm...interesting. The replies varied by the tester, but that was the first time I got one where they said it felt warm. I better save that for later. Now, it's time for you to put on the legs. Don't worry about your socks and shoes, these are made to mold over them." she said.

Hiyoko nodded, and sat down in a nearby chair, allowing the Cybernetic girl to attach the new limbs to her body. The new limbs molded over her sneakers, and even took their shape and color.

"Great, the cloaking device works perfectly. These were designed so they wouldn't be detectable by the human eye. They are also able to with stand a thousand times their own weight, so you'll be able to kick through pretty much anything, well...except maybe an iron plate."

"Of course." the blonde replied with a pout. Akira giggled, standing up straight. She flicked a few strands of her crimson hair behind her head, giving the blonde a once over.

"You look ready to go. I don't know how this mission is going to turn out, but I wish you the best of luck. These devices were built with a GPS tracker, so I'll be keeping an eye out on you. Make sure you have this on at all times." she said, handing her a small Earpiece. Hiyoko nodded, slipping it into her ear, luckily it also had a cloaking device so it instantly disappeared.

"Thanks a lot for this Akira, it means a lot to me." she said.

"No problem. I'd do anything for Daisuke, he was the one that made me who I am today. I'm not as shy as I used to be, and I embraced myself and my body, I can never thank him enough for that!" she said firmly.

Hiyoko gave the girl a hug, earning one in return, though she felt her spine crack in several places from the strong grip. The cybernetic girl giggled, ushering a quick apology before forcing her out the door. Hiyoko headed toward the elevator, and once she was inside, she pressed the button for the 24th floor. She sighed, ignoring the music as the device brought her down to her desired floor. She couldn't help but look at the robotic arm attached to her now, and find it a little weird, but if it assured her a chance of getting Daisuke out unscathed, then she would welcome it.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slowly slid open, allowing the blonde girl to slip into the hall. She hadn't been on this floor much, ever since it was converted from an office floor into the armory that it was now. She opened the wooden doors, stepping into the room, seeing all of the Remnants of Hope almost ready for war. They were all wearing camouflage jumpsuits, and sturdy black vests packed with ammunition. It reminded her of the paintball game that she and her class had, all those years ago, and how much fun it had been. Frowning, she made her way to the back of the room, where Sonia was standing, debriefing a few of the Generals.

That was what she had chosen to call the survivors of the 79th class. Those who had willingly joined her and had helped her create the organization, and had used their skills to get them to where they were, had earned the position of General. Currently, the ones that were there were Misa, Natsumi and Kazuto, as the other members of Class 79 were still out in the world, rescuing as many people as they could, and bringing hope to those who had been living through the despair. She looked up at Hiyoko a smile on her face.

It was weird, seeing her out of her beautiful black dress. Sonia wore it so much that it become a second skin to her, and was rarely seen in anything other than that dress. It had been a gift, from someone special, and wearing it had been her own personal way to honor them, but now seeing her dressed like a soldier going to war, it really made her a bit more depressed than she already was. Everyone else was dressed the same, other than Natsumi, who was dressed in a fancy suit, and was wearing a bowler hat on her head.

"Hiyoko, have you finally gotten better?" the princess asked, earning a nod from her.

"Yeah, me and Akira had a bit of a talk, and she cheered me up. Someone get me a vest please?" she called out, earning a nod from one of the others.

"Hiyoko, are you sure about coming with us? I know how hard that murder hit you." Sonia said.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I want to make it back before the Class Trial, I want to see that bastard get his comeuppance for being a dick to my friends. I feel bad for Mrs. Kotenok, but I'm glad that bastard killed her, that way she wouldn't have to see her own son plan so much murder. That's what he gets for becoming an _Ultimate_ _Despair._ " she said.

"Jesus Christ Hiyoko, no need to turn dark on us. Are you sure that murder didn't mess with your head?" Kazuto asked. The blonde glared at him, anger flowing through her body.

"Keep talking and I'll show you how dark I can be." she said.

"That's enough you two. Now let's get back to this plan, Marie Rose has just informed us of our rendezvous location, we will all meet here, a half a mile from the Future Foundation headquarters. Since this is a building that's located by the ocean, we will be relying on the escape tunnels to make it into the undersea building. From there, we will proceed our pincer attack taking down everyone we come across until we find Daisuke. If you see the Ultimate Pharmacist Seiko Kimura, be sure to catch her as well, as she is the one that most likely administers his medication. If we're lucky and secure both of them, then we shall retrace our steps and meet up here, where our transport will be waiting, any questions?"

Hiyoko looked at the point in the map, seeing that it was an old park. She grimaced a bit, recognizing the park that Sonia had pointed too. She had passed through that park countless times in the past, when the foundation decided to take ground transport, and every time, she saw several bodies there, some still hanging from the swing set in the center of the park. Making that the meeting place felt a little odd, but it was the closest to the foundation's rabbit hole, so it made sense.

Everyone nodded in agreement, not questioning Sonia's judgment a single bit. The young man returned, handing Hiyoko her vest. She hastily put it on, strapping it firmly to her body. Once she was done, she walked over to one of the lockers, pulling out several loaded magazines, along with her M4 carbine. Loading a fresh magazine into it, she pulled the bolt back, loading a fresh round into the chamber.

"Alright, are we going to sit around fisting each other or are we going to move?" Natsumi asked.

"Right, okay soldiers, we're ready to move out. Head downstairs to the transport vehicles and wait for further instructions."

"Sir." they all cried, giving Sonia a salute.

Everyone started leaving the room, pouring out into the hallway, followed by Misa and Kazuto who would be leading two separate groups. Natsumi pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, looking at the screen.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the rendezvous with the rest of my Platoon. Good luck Lady Sonia." the blonde said, leaving the room. The princess gave Hiyoko a nod, leading her out of the armory.

Instead of going down with the ground transport, Sonia lead her up to the Helipad, where one of the Togami Corporation Choppers had been waiting. The once sleek white vehicle, had now been repainted in a black color, so it wouldn't be spotted easily in the darkness of the night, however the name Togami was still very present. One of the suited young men opened the doors, allowing the two women inside.

"Madam, Miss Togami was unable to join you. She is currently in a meeting with the head of the Future Foundation and asked not to be part of this mission. She can't risk being found out now of all times." the pilot said.

"That's fine sir. She's our best inside man, and we can't loose her yet, so let us depart. The longer we wait, the more harm comes to Daisuke." she said.

It wasn't long before they were airborne. Hiyoko had long since grown tired of the scenery. It had remained unchanged for nearly three years, and she was beginning to miss the simplicity of life. Being out in the streets for several months after her departure from the foundation taught her a lot about survival. It also taught her the struggle that people had to go through, just because she was an Ultimate didn't mean that the risks were different for her. Sonia caught her look and took her hand in her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"It wont be long now. He'll be in your arms again."

"Wouldn't it be the other way around though?" she asked, brow raised.

"If you allow him to be the dominant one. Come on, we both know you were the dominant one in our relationship." She said, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Wha...come on Sonia that's bullshit. I was not the dominant one, I was just...abrasive." Hiyoko said.

"I call shenanigans!" the princess said, pointing her finger at the traditional dancer.

"You can't call shenanigans, I'm telling the truth. You can only do that when someone is lying."

"But you are lying. You were the dominant one, don't you remember that week that me and Daisuke binge watched the entire Pokemon XY Saga, and he had me singing the theme songs? You felt left out because you were too shy to tell him that you liked Pokemon yourself, so what was it that you did?" she asked.

"I didn't do anything Sonia!"

"Shenanigans! You walked right up to my desk and when I wished you good morning, you bitch slapped me across the face. Really hard, harder than when Yukari Shizuki slapped him when he accidentally walked into the Ladies room." she replied.

"Okay, I'll admit, slapping you was over the top. But that doesn't make me dominant." she said.

"You grabbed his dick in the middle of class and shouted to the whole world, this dick is mine and if I see another girl leaving his dorm with him, I will kill you, and then you proceeded to sit on his lap." Sonia said, crossing her arms.

The blonde blushed, looking away from the princess. She caught the snickers a few of the soldiers around her were hiding, and even the pilot was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"It can't be worse than the time you and Daisuke we're caught making out in that broom closet. Fuyuhiko wouldn't let you live it down for weeks!" Hiyoko said, a wide grin on her face. Surely if she was wearing her kimono she would be hiding it behind her sleeve. Sonia pouted, looking at the ceiling of the chopper.

"Can't be worse than the time you and Daisuke we're caught having sex in the Headmaster's office."

"You bitch! We were supposed to keep that a secret!" she snapped, glaring daggers at the princess, who was muffling her laughter.

"I'm sorry, but it was just too funny. The fact that Headmaster Kirigiri caught you two in the act, while you were laying on his desk, it must have been so embarrassing. I still can't believe Mikan slipped away too, poor janitor was left to deal with the stain." she continued, earning a growl from her girlfriend.

"Stop talking about it, jeez. You want me to crash this chopper? Because I will!" Hiyoko snapped, making the princess zip her lip.

It remained silent for awhile, as neither woman wanted to strike up a conversation. It was just too awkward, for Hiyoko at least, the fact that Sonia had blabbed about that experience really embarrassed her. She was struggling to keep her blush hidden, but the fact was that she was already too deep in memory lane to allow herself to forget.

To some, Hiyoko, Sonia and Daisuke's relationship seemed a bit rushed. But that was only to those outside of the academy. The three knew each other well enough to take the plunge, to move onto that stage in the relationship. He hated to admit it, but Daisuke had fallen in love with her almost from the beginning, back when she still looked like a little girl, her pranking nature and her mischievous smiles and little plots to cause misery to others, while it pissed him off, had also been an endearing trait to him.

It was the same for Sonia, he had fallen in love with her the moment she had spoken to him, but he never admit it to himself, until she told him her feelings at least. And even when he denied them, the Ultimate Princess didn't not until he finally let her join their relationship. He had changed them for the better, not because she was mean, but because he knew that deep down she had a heart, and he wanted everyone to see the true her, and when he had found out her secret, about why she had been so mean, she felt she was exposed, but he had been there, she had been his blanket, and that was ultimately what made her fall in love with him, and the day that she admitted it to him, was the day she became a woman, she trusted him that much with her heart.

The night that she had fulfilled her secret dream of being an idol, with the help of Sayaka, when he had proposed to her on stage after telling off her grandmother, it was the night that she held the most precious in her heart. The night that he had wanted to seal their love in holy matrimony.

"Um...Hiyoko, are you alright?" Sonia asked.

The blonde looked up, giving her a weird look, only to feel a drop hit the back of her hand. She had been crying, and she hadn't even noticed it. She wiped her eyes away, once again glancing out the window. She stuck her hand in her pocket, pulling out a worn looking ring box. She opened it, pulling the beautiful sapphire ring that rested within, slipping it onto her finger.

"I should have never taken this off. I feel like I broke my promise to him." she said.

"That's not true sweetheart. You just wanted to protect that beautiful bond that we have. You know, I was remembering that night too, when he told your grandmother and mother to fuck off and proposed to you right there, it was the sweetest thing I had ever witnessed. I remember Kazuichi fainting right after."

"Yeah, I remember Fuyuhiko offering to pay for the whole thing, Teruteru saying he would bake our cake, Peko saying she would cut it evenly so that Akane wouldn't eat it all. The fact that Daisuke made Chisa the Godmother."

"Your grandmother was pissed, I had never seen an old woman shout so loudly before. It's a shame that despair took them away from us, and we didn't get to enjoy that ceremony." She said, a sigh passing through her lips.

"Yes...but it's alright. We'll have that ceremony one of these days. Everything will be the same as before." she said.

"No...it won't be the same as before. It will be better...filled with a bright shining hope that will make even Nagito proud." Sonia said, a smile on her face.

"Madam, we are approaching our destination."

"Set us down as quietly as you can and await further instructions, proceed to extraction point Alpha Niner Zero."

"Copy that madam. We will await your return." the man said.

It wasn't long before he landed, in a dead looking clearing, surrounded by tall trees. Hiyoko stepped outside, the soft crunch of the dead leaves filling her ears. She looked around, scanning the tree line for potential attackers, her gun was already raised to her shoulder, ready to fire if necessary. She had her Katana strapped to her side, and her 1911 safely in it's holster. She was ready for anything.

Silently, the two trekked through the woods, hands on their weapons and eyes peeled. They we're lucky enough to not run into any trouble, but even then, Hiyoko was on edge. Months of wondering through the city had prepared her for anything, at any turn, a Monokuma unit could pop up, and she wanted to at least be ready for that. She had seen Sonia destroy many of them in the past, so she wasn't worried about her. She heard the taller woman giggle, and turned her head to look at her.

"Remember that beach trip we had the summer? It was the first time we all went to the beach, alone with no adult supervision." Hiyoko asked.

"Tch...you mean the beach trip where you, Daisuke scared the piss out of everyone by planning that whole scary story thing?" she asked.

"Yup! You have to admit, it was pretty funny."

"No it wasn't. Scaring Mikan is one thing, but scaring the living shit out of all of us is another. You pissed on my lap!"

"Okay, I'll admit it was a little over the top, but it was pretty funny, especially because you wet yourself too. Besides it was Daisuke's fault for touching my shoulder."

"Thin Ice Hiyoko, very thin ice." the blonde replied coldly, once again making the dancer shut her mouth. They continued in silence.

After a few minutes, they had reached the rendezvous point, already seeing the rest of their group waiting. Sonia gave them a nod, and checked everyone over, it wasn't long before their inside man, or in this case, woman had shown up.

She was a young woman of eighteen, of Swedish origin. She had long blonde hair, tied up into twin tails with two black ribbons. She had a cute face, with creamy white colored skin, and bright blue eyes to match, her light pink lips sparkling with gloss. She was a very short girl, standing at a height of five foot one, her normal footwear giving her a few inches of height, however due to her being part of the Future Foundation, she wore something different than the normal Gothic Maid outfit she normally would be wearing.

She wore a white collared tee shirt, with a small pocket on the right breast. She was wearing a long black tie around her neck, which was undone, and had a white butterfly design on it. She wore a short pleated skirt, with a blue and black plaid pattern on it, which fell down to her knees. She wore a pair of long stripped stockings, and regular sneakers. She was wearing a black sweat band on her left hand, bearing the crest of Hope's Peak Academy, her right wrist being decorated with several bracelets. She stopped before the group, giving them all a polite bow.

"It's been awhile." she said, her voice sounded a bit childish, but was filled with a maturity that was unbecoming of her.

This young woman was called Marie Rose Asta, a Swedish exchange student who once held the title of Ultimate Maid. Before the tragedy, she had been scouted to be part of Hope's Peak Academy's 79th class, and like Sonia, had left her home country to take the chance of a lifetime. There she met her friends, and formed a strong bond with them, a bond that would be tested as the months came.

She had been adamant about staying within the academy along with the other students that were currently there, but Ezekiel, the Ultimate Doomsday Prepper had convinced her to come along with them, and thus she found herself outside, witnessing the deaths of all of her upperclassmen, and fellow classmates. Only one student of class 79 remained among those within the academy, and the thought of losing him made her want to cry, but she held strong.

After being found by Sonia, she decided to join her cause and help her start the Remnants of Hope, so that they could bring hope to those affected by the tragedy. But she also knew the Future Foundation had scouted her, and had made a plan with Sonia to secretly join them and keep tabs on what they were doing. She had been sending Sonia information for nearly two years now, and she was glad about it, because she had been dying to leave.

"It has been awhile hasn't it Marie? How are things?" Sonia asked.

"Quite well, the Foundation has been recently doing a lot of shady business deals, and have been putting Musashi in a dire straight of sorts, but they are currently discussing it as a group right now. Most of the members are in the upper building, and I have full access to the lower building. I am glad you all are safe, after this I will be leaving with you, I am sick of being seen as nothing more than "The Help". It's very annoying." she said angrily.

"I bet you want to kick someones ass already, is sitting on that black belt in mixed martial arts that degrading? Or are you going to wear it?" Hiyoko asked, tossing her a gun. The girl caught with ease, pulling the slide back.

"Please, I've been wearing it since day one. Now, I will need you all to be quiet, half of you will need to remain outside, too many people and we will compromise the mission. Luckily, the escape tunnels don't have security detail in them, so we'll get in fine. Follow me." she said, leading them back the way she came.

After about thirty minutes of walking, they all arrived at the end of a very large tunnel, which looked more like a sewage drain. Most likely designed that way so that everyone thought it was one. Hiyoko looked around, noticing the lack of cameras. Marie Rose had done good picking a place like this with little security. The girl struggled a bit, but she was able to open the large grate that blocked the entrance of the hole, everyone slowly started filing in.

"I'll stay out here and keep watch, so hurry up." Natsumi said, earning a nod from Sonia.

"I'll remain here as well, providing back up is what we've chosen to do, be careful in there." Misa said. The two watched as the smaller group of soldiers disappeared into the darkness.

"It's going to start getting cold, due to how deep in the ocean this is, but once we pass the threshold it will be alright. The detainment unit where Daisuke is being kept is on Basement Floor 6. It has very tight security so be prepared to fight." Marie Rose said.

Hiyoko swallowed the lump in her throat, tightening her grip on her rifle. She was nervous, worried and giddy that she would finally get to see her fiancee up close. But she couldn't stop thinking about the bad things that could happen. She trusted that everyone was ready for a fight, but she knew that the Future Foundation had some of the best trained soldiers, she could only hope everything turned out right.


	25. Chapter 5 Act 1: Fighting for Hope

**A/N: Well, I...clearly wasn't ready for that last episode of Danganronpa Zetzubou-Hen. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't ready. I just...I have no words...Honestly I don't.**

 **However, in the throws of despair, I bring you a new chapter, fresh out of the presses. Chapter 5 Act 1 is ready for your reading pleasure. And oh boy is this a chapter? so much happens here and so many secrets are revealed, along with the biggest secret of the entire story, one that I hope you've all been piecing together, you all get an answer to that and if you don't know what I am talking about...don't fret, you'll understand soon. We also get to learn a bit more about the Incident of Hope's Peak Academy, just a tad though, in the form of a survivor, a girl named Aiko Umesawa. For those who have watched Danganronpa Zetzubou-Hen, she's the Shovel Girl, the pink haired girl with the weird balls in her hair, yeah her. she was too damn cute for me to ignore, and while she won't replace my all time favorite pink haired Danganronpa bae, as that spot has gone to Chiaki Nanami indefinitely for however long I live, she still found a place in my heart. Plus I wrapped my mind around the idea of her being the Ultimate Physician from a forum i read, so that's my head cannon, I'm not sure if that's even her name, but again head cannon. She's going to be a mentor to Mikan in the Prequel to this fic, which will ultimately lead toward the...distesteful events of today's episode.**

 **FUCK! I still can't believe that shit happened. SHIT!**

 **Ahem, anyway, I hope you all like this chapter, Act 2 will be ready soon, I have decided to take a break for a little bit. For those keeping up with the prequel, I will get around to writing something new, don't worry, that awesome paintball fight will happen soon enough.**

 **Update: 7/1/17 Chapter 5 has been completely edited and will be posted. There are some minor grammar fixes as well as various other continuity fixes. There are also some new things added to each act. I have taken Act 3 and split it in half to create the new Act 5, while the previous Act 4 is now Act 5. I will also add Act 5 of Hiyoko Side after this chapter. After this, only chapter 6 will need to be edited and posted. Due to the length of both chapters, I have decided to revise and review it all. If I find it okay, I will post it as is...but I am thinking of splitting up Act 2 of Chapter 6 so there can be a Final Act of sorts. Man, I can't believe it's already almost done...I can finally write something original again, I've been dying to start The School Trip of Mutual Killing for weeks now. I know I still have to do Ultra Despair Girls, but I'm not really feeling it right now. I may just do another Chronicles of Despair thing and use that to bridge both stories instead. I'm sure all of you were looking forward to my take on AE, but I really don't feel like writing it, so again, I'm sorry...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 5

Act 1

Fighting For Hope

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

No one ate in the cafeteria anymore, not after what had happened there. They couldn't help having to go inside, in order to cook their food, but they had all silently agreed not to use it anymore. With the help of all of the guys, they had brought the long table into the plaza, and had set it up near the center of it. They had been doing this for a few days now, not wanting to disturb the Ultimate Baker's final resting place.

Yuno had noticed that Kyoko had started to grow distant, ever since that last class trial. Whenever he tried striking a conversation with her, she would make up some excuse not to talk to him.

Talking to Alter Ego had been the only time he had gotten more than an awkward _hello_ from her. He found it odd, but he didn't question her, figuring there was a reason for it. It had been a little odd though, as she wasn't only actively avoiding him, but she was actively avoiding everyone, even Makoto who she seemed to get along with nicely.

Byakuya had suggested someone follow her at all times, but being reminded about what happened to Sakura by Hina made him shut his mouth.

It wasn't as if Kyoko would do something like that, but they felt the need to leave the purple haired girl to her own devices. He now sat at his desk, in his shared room with Sayaka, writing the latest dream he had in his journal, ever since his friends found out, he had been actively sharing his dreams with them, and they had been helping piece everything together, but he always found it annoying how convenient it was that he was missing enough fragments to not put them chronologically.

Once he finished, he closed his notebook, setting it aside. He glanced at the camera in the room, smirking as he saw the blinking red dot. He was sure the mastermind was pissed off at his loophole, but if it really was a problem, he could amend the rule. It at least gave him the peace of mind that he needed. He leaned back in his chair, frowning a bit.

"Five days and still nothing about the Fifth Floor. What's wrong Mastermind? Get cold feet?" he muttered, a smirk on his face.

He had thought about several things since the death of the Ultimate Architect, mostly revolving around what he said.

Bryce had said, that the reason why they were trapped in Hope's Peak Academy was to bring despair to everyone, by having them kill their friends. It made little sense to him, but it did make sense at the same time. The mastermind was causing them despair, by giving them motives and having them kill each other.

At the end of it all, whoever survived would most likely be forced to watch each murder that happened in great detail, as a final dose of despair before being told that they would stay stuck in the academy for life.

Not getting any answers from him about his connection to his dreams was also a bit annoying. He knew, he knew that Bryce had something to do with it, but what that was, he would never know. He had inspected the architect's room the day after the execution, but he hadn't found a single thing, it was clean. So he was back to square one on the whole thing, and he had been hoping Alter Ego was close to being finished with those files.

The final thing that he had been pondering on was the note that he recovered from Ryouko Otonashi's notebook. It had been an eye opening read, and he still remembered it word for word.

" _To the people inside the academy, if you are reading this know that help is coming. I will not rest until I get all of you out of there. Nothing is as it seems, and Monokuma lies to you. This is all her sick game, her idea of despair. This woman, parading as Ryouko Otonashi isn't as she seems either. I can't say anymore, but I wish you all luck."_

It had been signed by Hiyoko Saionji. A message from the outside, meaning that Ryouko had been kept somewhere else on campus, in a place where the Ultimate Traditional Dancer had seen her and left that message for all of them. He had chosen not to share it with anyone, as he didn't want to give them false hope, or make them all start banging on the window plates like maniacs.

He would tell them in time, but as of now he would keep it to himself. He sighed, placing his head on the desk, his headaches had been getting better and his dreams hadn't been filled with despair as the ones he had been having lately so he was at least glad for that. He heard the door open, and looked toward the doors, seeing his girlfriend walking into the room, with a basket in her hands. He rapidly stood up, taking it from her.

"I thought I told you not to do the laundry, especially with that cast on your wrist." he said.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about me. My wrist barely hurts anymore, and I'm on those painkillers Mikan gave me. You've been doing our laundry since I broke my arm, so I wanted to do it myself." she said, giving him a pout.

"I know that you want to make yourself useful, but I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore. Lifting heavy things will make it harder for your bones to heal properly. They could even break again." he said. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Alright, I'll let the man of the dorm wash my panties the next time." she said, giving him a wink.

He rolled his eyes, capturing her lips in a kiss, making her giggle contently. The two had been getting closer as of late, and had embraced their relationship wholeheartedly. It felt oddly natural to them, as if they had been dating for far longer than a month and a half. Of course, Yuno himself knew that they had been dating far longer than that, even if she didn't believe it. He pulled away from her, moving toward the dresser along with the basket.

"So, how has your day been?" He asked.

"Same as always, we're all still recovering after the last trial. Even Byakuya has stopped picking at the wound. He's been staying on the Second Floor a lot though, I wonder why?"

"Maybe he realized being a rich asshole wasn't for him and decided to study law so he could become an asshole in a court room." he said, making her laugh.

"I doubt that. I tried talking to Kyoko again, but she's still avoiding everyone. That last trial must have hit her hard, I mean, with how brutal it was and everything."

"Tell me about it. She refuses to talk to me too, all week since the trial she's been outright avoiding me, even when we go check on...you know what." he said.

"She must be up to something. That would be the answer to this whole scenario." she said. The screen in their room turned on, showing a very pissed off Monokuma.

"Alright you mother fuckers, get your asses into the Gym this fucking instant. I cannot tolerate the shit you have all just committed against me. If you don't show up, you'll face punishment from high heaven!" he shouted, before the screen went black.

Yuno looked at Sayaka, who gave him a shrug before grabbing her room key. The two of them left their dorm, locking the door behind them. They caught up with Leon and Taeko who were waiting by the plaza entrance.

"So, what do you think he wants now?" the baseball player asked.

"Probably wants to give us another motive, as if the last one wasn't enough to piss everyone off." Yuno said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"He seemed rather irritated no? What could have possibly happened to cause that sudden mood shift?" Taeko asked.

"Maybe the mastermind is on her period and she's taking her anger out on us through Monokuma." Yuno said, chuckling a bit. Sayaka punched his arm, making him groan in pain.

"That stuff isn't funny Yuno. Even if our mastermind is a woman and on her period, we shouldn't laugh about it. That shit is painful." she said.

"Yes, the cravings aren't too pleasant either." Taeko added.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Making me get you ice cream at three am, your lucky there's a freezer in the storage room." Leon muttered, earning a sickly sweet smile from the Gambler.

"When we have our first child, you'll be the one cleaning his or her diapers, just remember that next time you cross me." she said, quickening her step.

"Damn, she's got you whipped Leon." Yuno said, holding back a laugh, only for the orange haired teen to punch him in the arm, twice as hard as Sayaka had. His cry of pain echoed through the hallway.

The remaining Eleven students had all assembled in the Gym, looking around. All of the decorations from the previous time they had been there were gone, and no trace of Ryouko's entrance ceremony had been present. Monokuma shot up onto the podium, glowering with anger. His tiny fists were clenched, and Yuno swore he saw his face glowing red.

"Alright, which one of you did it?" he asked.

"Did what? Explain yourself bear, we haven't the time for this." Byakuya snapped, clearly annoyed with the whole situation.

"You know what I am talking about. One of you broke into the Headmaster's office, after I specifically said No Breaking Down Doors, not only that you violated a second rule, breaking a Surveillance Camera. That's not just grounds for expulsion, it's grounds for Execution! On top of that you went and stole my treasure, my most prized possession, right from my desk. So, come out and give it back thief!" he snapped.

"What's so important about this treasure in the first place?" Yuno asked.

"None of your business buddy boy! Only I know what the treasure is." the bear snapped.

"Okay, then how are we supposed to find the person who stole it if we don't know what it is?" Taeko asked.

"Gah, just forget about it. You get off free this time, but if you as so dare steal from me again, you will get punished big time. Now get lost, I don't want to see you anymore!"

"Not so fast, what about our reward?" Byakuya said, glancing at the bear.

"You want a reward? I bet you it was you that stole my treasure and now want to claim the reward." Monokuma replied.

"Pfft! Hardly, I am the richest person here, I have no need for your measly treasure nor what the reward for finding it is. I am talking about the Fifth Floor. We solved the murder cases of Nick and Sakura, and we've been waiting five days for you to open up the next floor. So get on with it." the Affluent Progeny said.

"Maybe we shouldn't taunt him like that Byakuya. It isn't a wise idea." Makoto said.

"Oh, and copping out on our well deserved reward is? Honestly, you need to grow a backbone and step up to the plate, or let yourself be killed by someone else. Personally, I wouldn't mind either."

"That's enough you. Monokuma can go ahead and open the next floor whenever the fuck he wants, I could honestly care less if he does or not, but acting like this doesn't solve anything." Yuno said firmly, anger flowing through him.

"Aw, look at that, standing up for his little buddy. That kind of hope will only get you killed in the end, but the man is right. As of now, the Fifth Floor of Hope's Peak Academy is open for exploration. Knock yourselves out, and keep an eye out for that treasure, if you find it then I'll give you a hefty sum for it, say Ten Million Yen?" the bear asked, breaking into laughter as he disappeared. The sound of a metal gate opening could be heard and everyone gave a firm nod.

"Alright, time to get searchin'" Hina said, a smile on her face. It made Yuno happy that she was moving forward, especially after loosing two close friends.

Everyone slowly made their way up toward the Fourth Floor, trying to ignore the fact that one of their friends had died in that stairwell. After walking across said floor, they started walking up toward the next floor. Yuno felt a tug on his sleeve and looked back, seeing that it was Kyoko. He had been rather surprised, seeing that she actually wanted to talk to him.

Instead, she just handed him a key, the one that belonged to the locker Alter Ego was in. She gave him a nod and brushed past him. Was she, trying to tell him to check on the computer downstairs? He shook his head, shoving the key in his pocket before continuing up the stairs. He pulled out his handbook, along with his journal, ready to start jotting down what he discovered on the new floor.

Sayaka had been waiting for him at the top of the stairs, a frown on her face, though as soon as she saw him, her face brightened up. She took his hand in her own, her handbook secured in her other hand.

"After we finish up here, what do you say you come with me to the Music room, I've already told the others about this too. I decided to cheer everyone up with a little concert!" she said.

"Seriously?" he asked, not believing it.

"Mhmm, we all need it. The computers in the Music room will do just fine, plus we have the CDs in the Rec Room with my songs on them, it won't be hard to just play the tracks." she said, giving him a wink.

"No lip syncing though, I'll never forgive you if you did." he said. She kissed his cheek, pulling him toward the left side of the floor.

"We can only access a few places on this Floor, the Biology Lab is closed off sadly. There are three classrooms, a Dojo and a Botanical Garden." She said.

"They have a garden up here? Seriously?" he asked.

"Yup! As far as I know that's everything there is. The entire academy has been opened, save for the second floor dormitory and of course the Bio Lab, I wanted to check out the Dojo First." she said, earning a nod from him.

The first thing Yuno saw when he entered the dojo was just how big it was. It most likely took up most of the fifth floor. There were several blooming sakura trees, lining the shooting range. Several hundred meters out, Yuno could see the archery targets, placed in the very back of the room. Pink petals drifted all around the room, filling it with the scent of fresh cherries.

The floor had been made of tatami, so it felt soft when he stepped on it. Looking to the right, he saw a large set of wooden lockers, having several numbers written on them, with keys attached to each lock. To the left, he saw a small shrine of sorts, with smoking incense sticks. There was a full blown Samurai Armor set sitting on a chair beside the shrine, as if keeping it safe from harm. Hina was standing there, looking at the small area with a look of longing. She looked up, giving them a sad smile.

"Sakura would have loved this place, right Yuno?" she asked, earning a nod from the purple haired teen.

"I'm sure she would have. It's so peaceful here, I could see her spending a lot of time meditating here."

"I decided to dedicate this little shrine to her, and everyone else we've lost in this academy. They deserve to rest in peace...it's a shame we don't have pictures of them to set beside it, but the incense sticks will do. It's the least I can do as a friend." she said.

"I'm sure they like it Hina. Let's hope we don't have to light another incense alright?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder, the two of them looking at the small candle that was now resting in front of the little shrine.

"Hey Yuno, check this out." Sayaka said, grabbing their attention.

She had wondered over to the lockers, opening each one of them up. She had found a wooden long bow, with a beautiful oak finish. She had also found a bundle of black Duralumin arrows resting beside it.

"Wow, that's a beautiful bow. It reminds me a lot of the one that I used have in my Grandfather's house." he said.

"Actually Yuno, I think it's yours. It has your name written on it." she said, handing it over to him.

He looked at it closely, seeing his name written on the riser, in the English format.

"I've never been up here, how could this have gotten here?" he asked.

"Maybe it's the same as that camera that Makoto and Mikan found on the third floor. I don't know anyone who watches Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess." she said.

"That does make sense, now that I think about it. Well at least we found a place for Archery right Yuno? Now you can practice your skills here instead of in your dorm." Sayaka said, handing him the arrows. He looked at them, frowning a bit.

"Yeah, I think I'll just leave this stuff here for later. I can definitely get rid of some pent up aggression, that's for sure. Now if only I could shoot Monokuma, that would make my day." he said with a chuckle, placing the bow and arrows back in the locker. He took out his notebook, jotting down everything that he had found within the dojo.

"Saya, would you like to check out the Botanical Garden next?" he asked.

"Sure, I want to see the pretty flowers." she said.

"Do you want to come with us Hina? The fresh air might do you some good." he said, a smile on his face.

"Maybe later, I want to keep watching the flower petals falling for a bit longer." she said.

He nodded, leaving the swimmer to her own devices. He was sad that she hadn't taken his offer, but he also knew leaving her alone would be better, as she was still grieving. It's the same thing he did when they all lost Junko, after all.

The Botanical Garden was right across from the Dojo, and seemed to be bigger than the previous room. Instantly, the scent of fresh flowers and freshly cut grass filled their nose. There were brightly colored flowers everywhere you looked, including a really large one in the very center of the room.

Above them was an artificial lighting system, which mimicked the sun, as well as an Irrigation system. They two noticed the Chicken coop on the other side of the room, where five chickens were moving around. There was also a storage room, which was filled with several gardening tools, including shovels and pick axes, something that worried Yuno a bit.

"It's so pretty here Yuno. Do you think we can have a picnic here sometime?" she asked.

"Sure thing babe, anytime." he said with a smile, writing a few notes down in his notebook.

"We should keep an eye on those tools though, especially with the way things have been turning out recently. Aren't the chickens cute?" she asked.

"Well, you certainly are jumping from thing to thing today aren't you?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, it's the first time I've seen a chicken up close." she said, holding back the urge to pet one.

"I've seen a couple of them up close. My grandma used to raise chickens for eggs when I was younger, it was much cheaper than buying a dozen eggs at the store. You know, I've never seen a chicken die of natural causes. Like, have you ever seen a chicken on the side of the road or anything? I've seen cats, dogs, possums, never a chicken. Hell, the last time I saw a chicken was on my plate."

"Jesus, Yuno! Can you not talk about that next to the chickens? That's so cruel." Sayaka snapped, glaring at her boyfriend.

"What? I'm telling the truth."

"Still, just be sensitive." She said, earning an eye roll from him. A loud caw suddenly filled their ears, and they looked up to the rafters, only to see a brown and white blur zoom past them into the academy proper. Yuno stood there, eyes widened.

"Was that an Eagle?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"I think it was Sargent Sprinkles." Yuno said, placing a hand on his head.

"You...know its name?"

"Uh...it just came to me you know...anyway, I'll let you play with the chickens while I go check out the classrooms." He said.

He gave her a kiss on the lips, before walking out of the room, greeting Makoto, Mikan as they entered the garden. Walking up the hallway, he followed the map heading toward Classroom 5-C, the one that looked odd. Aside from the first floor, this was the only floor that had three classrooms. He pulled the door open, eyes widening. His hand flew to his mouth as he tried to hold the contents in his stomach.

The classroom looked like any other classroom, except all of the desks we're destroyed. The walls were soaked in dried blood, the windows were heavily plated, with hand prints on them. All of the desks we're in pieces, the legs covered in blood. The chalkboard was cracked, and he swore he saw bone fragments in the crack.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, and somehow keeping his breakfast in his stomach, he made his way inside the room. Looking around, he only saw more dried blood, several shell casings and other discarded weapons, even a broken chainsaw. He avoided a few of the dried patches of blood, moving around the room, he noticed the phrase, Eye for an Eye written in blood on the wall, and grimaced a bit.

"What the hell happened in this room?" he muttered to himself.

He noticed the body outlines on the ground. This all seemed like a crime scene...like someone literally killed people. Was it like this before? Or did something happen before they were brought to the academy. He looked around, searching the room for clues, but didn't find anything of interest.

Moving toward the back, he noticed a filing cabinet, which to him looked a little oddly placed. He looked to the front of the room, seeing the sparking camera, no doubt due to what had happened in this room. Knowing their captor wouldn't be watching, he reached for the handle, pulling the drawer open.

He didn't find anything, just a book, emblazoned with the seal of Hope's Peak Academy. He took it out of the drawer, opening the book looking at the first page. His eyes widened a bit as he read the words on the first page.

"Hope's Peak Academy Class 76 Entrance Profiles." he muttered under his breath.

He flipped through them, seeing Sixteen students, all of them with a red X over their picture, all except one, the very last one.

It was a picture of a girl, a very pretty girl with light pink hair, tied up into ponytails, forming two balls of sorts on the sides of her head. She was wearing a red ribbon in her hair, her neat bangs falling over her forehead. She had bright blue eyes, and a happy smile on her face. Her skin was lightly tanned, and she was wearing little make up, the exception being some mascara. She was wearing a long sleeve black shirt, with big round buttons. Around her neck, she wore a crimson tie, with a spider web design on it. She was wearing a black mini skirt, with a white ruffled hem. That familiar sense of familiarity hit him again, making him shiver a bit. He shook his head, and started reading the profile.

"Kiriko Nishizawa, Age 17, _Ultimate_ _Physician._ Head of the Student Body Health Committee. Survivor Number 2 of the Incident of Hope's Peak Academy, avoided death by pretending to be dead. She was saved by _Daisuke_ _Del_ _Rio_ , who applied pressure to her wound and stayed by her side until EMT arrived. When she made it out of surgery, she was questioned by authorities. She didn't know who had started the massacre, but stated it was a student from Class 78B." he muttered to himself. He started thinking about it, eyes widening a bit.

"This is...the Student Council...these are the kids that were forced into that Mutual Killing game...the one that was broadcast to the Reserve Course...which supposedly caused the closure of Hope's Peak Academy. Why would this be here of all places?" he muttered to himself.

This rose several questions, perhaps Kyoko would know about this matter, then again she had been avoiding him. The only other person he could go to was Alter Ego, and hope that he had been able to check all of the files on the computer. He unzipped his vest, slipping the file into it before zipping it back up.

He closed the drawer, and opened the next one, finding it empty, the last one however held something interesting.

It was a cellphone. A bright pink cellphone, with a white cracked screen. His heart started racing as he grabbed it, looking it over. He snapped the pink case of of it, and pulled the back cover off, seeing it still had it's battery. He put the cover back on it, and held the power button on, silently praying that it turned on or something. The screen flashed, the battery icon blinking on it. He sighed with relief, and slipped the case back on it, checking the charger port.

"Looks like it takes a standard charger. I can take the one from the Ps4 controllers in the Arcade. Monokuma will most likely wonder what the hell I want with it. I'll just tell him my headphone one broke...that'll work." he muttered to himself, shoving the phone in his pocket. He looked around the room for one final time before leaving the room, closing the door behind himself.

"What we're you doing in there?" Byakuya snapped, making him yelp in surprise. He held a hand over his heart, steadying his breathing.

"Asshole, don't fucking do that!" he snapped.

"Pfft, whatever. Did you find anything in there worth noting? You were in there for quite awhile." he said.

"No, I didn't find anything. It's just..." he stopped, not wanting to talk about it. The Affluent Progeny reached for the door, only for Yuno to catch his wrist.

"Don't, it's best if you leave this room be." he said.

"If you are trying to save me from an untimely end, then your efforts are for naught. You aren't stopping me from stepping within." he said, shaking his hand off.

Yuno sighed, stepping away from him. He didn't stick around to see his reaction, but by his surprised shout, he figured it was much like his own. He didn't bother checking the last two classrooms, and decided to start heading downstairs toward the Arcade.

The mystery of the academy was growing, far faster than he had anticipated. He hated to admit it, but Bryce's actions had brought them closer to finding out who the mastermind was. He hated to think about how their friends deaths had gotten them closer to the answer, it felt sick and he hated himself, but he also couldn't help but be happy that he had found something to go on.

Finally reaching the third floor, he hastily made his way toward the arcade. The silence and beeping arcade machines brought him a little peace of mind. He walked over to where the Game Consoles were and pulled the cord from the USB port on the side of the console, placing the controller on top of the system.

He shoved it in his pocket and turned around, heading toward the door. That's when he saw Ryouko. She was looking around, as if making sure she was alone. After she knew she wasn't being followed, she headed downstairs. He waited for a few seconds, before going after her. He wanted to see what she was doing.

She hadn't gained his trust, and the fact that she was acting shady was cause for concern. He pressed himself against the bottom of the steps, listening for her footsteps. He heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and quickly moved toward it, seeing the one to the boy's bathroom slowly closing.

" _The boys bathroom? What is she doing in there?"_

His breath hitched in his throat as he recalled what Kyoko had told him. There was a secret room in the Boy's bathroom on the second floor, filled with files and other important documents. Had Ryouko accidentally found them? What would she be doing in the boy's bathroom anyway? No...that wasn't it...It must have been the journal, he had seen her looking at it weirdly earlier that day.

While at breakfast, she had been on the opposite side of the table reading her journal. When she had flipped the page, she had seen something that made her choke on her juice, as she was coughing pretty loud, and had slammed her journal closed after Mikan hand wanted to check on her.

Did the journal tell her about the room or was she hiding something else?

He couldn't know, not unless he investigated himself. He started moving toward the doors and as he was about to grab the bathroom door, he saw it opening, so he quickly ducked into the girl's room, locking the door right after. He pressed himself against the door, breathing a bit hard. He placed his hand on his mouth and pressed his ear against the door, trying to hear if she was gone or not.

He remained there for a few minutes, before finally opening the door, sighing in relief when he found an empty hall. He quickly ducked into the boy's room, thankfully avoiding the sight of the camera. He slowly made his way to the final stall, slowly making his way inside. He looked back for a second, before pushing the back wall.

He was surprised to see it move, and when it did he pushed it a bit harder, opening it enough for him to slip inside. He looked around, finding it strangely empty. There wasn't any camera's here either, so it was another blind spot, one the mastermind surely knew of, but was doing nothing to block off.

Walking further into the room, he saw a wooden table, with several thick books lined up on the side. He saw the name, Building Plans on the spine of the books, along with each Floor. Looking up, he saw the back shelves, filled to the brim with books. His hand went up to a Yearbook, labeled Class 79. He opened it, seeing all of his classmates pictures had been cut out.

He found it strangely odd, especially since their names were still on the pages. He flipped to the next page, seeing Nick's photo. He was smiling, showing a peace sign to the camera, while having a cupcake hat on his head. He let out a chuckle, rolling his eyes. The next page he flipped onto showed a picture of Bryce, surprisingly smiling. He had been wearing a plaid shirt of course, but he looked genuinely happy. The last picture was of course a picture of himself, the odd thing was, that his name had been cut out.

His brows furrowed as he kept looking through the pages, but he didn't see the name Yunosuke Nagahama anywhere. His title had also been cut out. He had to admit, he looked like he had a stick up his ass in the picture. Straight faced, wearing what looked like...a custom made purple blazer, along with a red tie. On the lapel was his most personal possession, the Pin he had been given at the beginning of his time in the academy, labeling him as part of the 79th class. His hair was a little longer, down near his neck, and he was wearing a pair of studded purple gloves.

"What the fuck? I have never worn this in my life. None of my clothes match this at all." he said aloud.

He cringed, mentally kicking himself for his reaction. He flipped through the yearbook, not finding anything of interest as everything had been literally cut out. He set it back, and grabbed the book belonging to Class 76. He opened it, flipping through all of the school events and skipping to the class pictures.

He was surprised to see Kiriko Nishizawa's picture. He flipped to the next page, seeing another picture. He decided that this book was still fully intact, as it showed all of Class 76, including the Student Council members. He wanted to take it, but surely someone would notice him carrying that book around, so he set it back.

" _What does all of this mean? My class yearbook has been completely hacked to pieces, but Class 76 is completely fine. Does that mean 77 and 78 are also cut up?"_

To test his theory, he grabbed the 77th class yearbook, only to see every student, except a few still in there. He flipped through the pages, seeing the same thing above every picture, where their titles should have been.

" _Ultimate Despair"_

He recognized the three people he had seen in his dream. Daisuke Del Rio, the Ultimate Story Teller, Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, and Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess. He had also recognized Peko Pekoyama, and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu.

The final person he saw was a girl named Chiaki Nanami, who had a bright red cross over her picture. He vaguely recognized the girl. He blank look was a bit unnerving, but she somehow made him calm down a bit. It was as if she had an air of hope around her. He noticed her title as the Ultimate Gamer, and remembered seeing her name on some of the high scores in the arcade machines, though he hadn't told anyone. He closed the book, slipping it back into the shelf, having more questions than answers.

"What the hell does this all mean? _Ultimate_ _Despair_? Is that even a thing?" he muttered to himself.

He looked at the top shelf, labeled "Registries" and moved his hand toward the one belonging to his class. The files we're, of course missing, but the only ones he did find were the ones that belonged to Nick and Bryce. He looked through the other papers but didn't find his own file. He grit his teeth, slamming the book closed.

"This doesn't make any sense, none of it makes sense." he muttered, squeezing the book hard.

He heard something fluttering down and looked at the ground, seeing a single sheet of paper. He bent down, placing the Registry on the table before reaching for the paper. He flipped it over, reading the note that was on it.

" _You must not leave the academy!"_

"What the hell? What is this?" he muttered to himself.

What did this note even mean. It looked to be written hastily, as If the person who had been writing it was being chased or something. It was sloppy, and the ink was even smeared. Why had it even been hidden in that file in the first place?

Did the writer want him specifically to find it? Or did Kyoko already read it? He shook his head, setting it down on the table. He looked at the clock on his handbook, and grimaced.

"It's been far longer than I've wanted it to be. I need to head to the Plaza..there's another time for this." he muttered, hastily leaving the room.

He made sure the door was fully closed and then left the bathroom. He made his way down the stairs, making his way back toward the Hotel. He passed through the gates just as Byakuya was about to start.

"Ah, there you are. Thought you could make us wait could you?" he asked.

"Sorry, I got side tracked. I'm here now so it's alright." he said.

"Good, is everyone present and accounted for?" he asked, earning nods from everyone.

"Let's begin. The Fifth floor has given us access to a whole new set of rooms. Looking around, I didn't find any stairs leading up, so this building boasts only five stories." he said.

"The botanical garden is really big, and has several different plants growing there, along with a really huge one the size of a beach umbrella." Sayaka said enthusiastically.

"I also noticed a Chicken coop in there, with six chickens safely inside. There was also a shed filled with an array of gardening tools." Taeko added.

"I checked the dojo out. It was pretty peaceful in there, with blooming sakura trees. There's also an Archery range in there, with targets and everything. I decided to dedicate the small shrine to our deceased friends, so if you all want to pay your respects, please head up there, I'm sure they'll like that." Hina added.

"I checked out Classroom 5-C. It...it wasn't pleasant." Yuno said.

"Why? Is something wrong? I didn't get to see it for myself." Leon said, brushing a few feathers out of his hair.

"Yeah, we spent half an hour chasing the chickens around. Someone thought it would be a good idea to leave the coop open." Taeko said, glaring at Sayaka who chuckled dryly, looking away from her.

"That classroom...it wasn't like the others. Everything was destroyed, and it looked like something straight out of CSI. There was dry blood everywhere, along with body outlines. I saw spent shell casings, a broken chainsaw, a bloodstained shovel, and a bunch of other stuff. The smell was horrible, it was like walking into a room full of rusted copper pipes. Whatever happened in there clearly happened before we got here." he said.

"I can corroborate his statement, as I also examined this room." Byakuya said.

"I saw it too. It wasn't pleasant at all, I almost threw up all over the floor, so I had to leave, since the Fifth Floor didn't have any bathrooms, I had to go down to the Third, but by that time I didn't feel sick anymore." Ryouko said.

" _So that's why she was down there...but what about the Second Floor bathroom?"_ he thought, looking at the redhead.

"It will be something I have to investigate later. I haven't personally checked it out, so I'll be sure to get started." Kyoko said.

"Not so fast. We have something else to address, the fact that you have been avoiding us like the plague. What are you hiding? Why are you always off on your own?" Byakuya asked.

"What is it to you? I am trying to solve the mystery behind this academy." the purple haired girl snapped.

"A likely story. You are always gone when things go awry, and have been exploring on your own since the beginning of this game. Who are you really? What is your connection to this school?"

"That's enough Byakuya. What's it to you if she wants to explore the academy? She can do whatever the hell she wants." Yuno said.

"There you go with your naivete. It's going to get you killed one day I swear, and you aren't off the hook either. Bryce said some fairly interesting things during our last trial, things that I've been thinking about ever since then. The two of you acted strange during the first day, and the fact that you asked Monokuma about your fragmented memories lead me to believe that you are also involved with the bear."

Yuno's eyes widened. Was he serious? Did he actually think he was involved with that psychopath?

"Dude, chill out already. Yuno isn't involved with Monokuma, and neither is Kyoko. If they want to explore the academy, more power to them. Kyoko knows what she is doing. As for Yuno, he isn't involved with the mastermind, he would never do that to us." Leon said.

"Are you sure about that? How much do you truly know about Yuno? He could be lying right to your face. All of that stuff he said could have been a fib, a fabrication he trained himself to say. What's to say that they are the ones who did this? After all they have been meeting in secret ever since the Second Floor opened up for exploration." Byakuya said, a smirk on his face.

"So, you've been spying on us since then? I knew we were being watched." Kyoko said.

"Seriously? I didn't notice a thing. Nothing escapes you huh?" Yuno asked. The purple haired girl ignored him, looking at the far wall.

"Since you have decided to sneak around the academy, that means you have to forget certain liberties. Explore the academy all you want, so long as I get my peace of mind. Your room key." he said, holding his hand out.

"Whoa, why are you taking her room key? You can't just do that." Hina said.

"Like I said before. If she wants to keep us out of the loop, then she has to pay the price. Those who work for the bear don't deserve the commodities of normal living. If it wasn't because you are rooming with Sayaka Maizono, I would ask for your key as well Yuno." Byakuya said.

"Like I would give it to you asshole! You can't fucking do this shit. She doesn't deserve..."

"Fine, have my room key. I have better things to do and business to take care of." Kyoko said, ending the conversation. She handed Byakuya her room key, and walked off, heading out of the academy.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? This isn't your house, you can't just take away people's stuff." Yuno said.

"Oh what do you know? Surely you of all people want to know what she's keeping from you, seeing as she has been avoiding you too." he sneered.

"Byakuya, this isn't right. You should give Kyoko her room key back, she deserves to at least sleep in her own bed. It isn't wrong to want to know something." Makoto said.

"Silence! My decision is final. I shall keep her room key and give it back to her when I deem fit. I would advise the rest of you to watch your backs. Bryce may not be among us, but there is still one person who can very well become the next _Ultimate_ _Architect._ " he said, glaring at Ryouko. Yuno hissed under his breath, and turned to leave, heading out of the plaza.

"I can't believe this fucking bullshit! Everything gets worse as it goes along!" he snapped.

He slammed the gates closed as he left, the metal clang echoing through the empty halls. He started looking around, trying to find the Purple haired girl. He ran toward the first floor stairwell, almost bumping into her.

"Kyoko, there you are." he said.

"Did you check in with Alter Ego?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I haven't done that, I was going to wait until the others left the Plaza." he said.

"Then I have nothing to speak about. It is something you must hear in order for us to discuss a plan of action." she said, turning around. He caught her arm.

"Wait...are you alright with what he did? He just took your room key." he said.

"I'll be fine. Everything isn't as it seems, besides it's not like I'll be killed investigating the academy. I can still rest within the dorms, it says nothing about being in the bedroom." she said with a shrug.

"Yes...but.."

"If you are done, then I really must be going. I have to start checking that classroom you and Byakuya spoke of. I think it's a prime candidate for what happened during the Incident of Hope's Peak Academy." she said, brushing his arm off.

"Kyoko...do you...know something about me that I don't know?" he asked, causing her to stop mid stride.

"I feel like you are avoiding me, because maybe you found something out, something that makes sense with what Bryce was saying." he said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. You are just tired and confused." she said.

"I saw the Registry, Kyoko. My profile isn't on there...the yearbook doesn't say my title, and I didn't find my name anywhere inside it. The sense of familiarity is getting stronger, like the haze is starting to lift, I just can't figure out half of the things that I am missing. It's getting worse every day. So please...if you know something just tell me." he said, looking at her. She looked at him, a frown on her face.

"I don't know anything about you, other than what you have shared with me. I'm sorry."

"That's bullshit! Kyoko you can't just tell me that you don't know anything. For Christ sakes, just tell me, call me by the person I truly am not the one you see in front of you!"

Her eyes widened, and she fully turned around, walking back to his side.

"When did you figure it out?" she asked. He wordlessly handed her his notebook, already open to his latest dream entree.

 _(Dreamscape)_

Yuno had once again found himself in the plaza, outside of Hope's Peak Academy. The area hadn't changed at all, except it had gotten a bit darker, the skies had been more crimson than the previous time, and smoke billowed high into the skies. The sounds of gunfire could be heard everywhere now, and it was scaring him the more he looked around.

" _So, you've returned."_

He turned around, seeing the hooded person sitting down by the fountain, the red glowing Katana still in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, getting a bit defensive.

" _My my, a guarded appearance? That is so unlike you Yuno. I thought you were the outgoing type? After all, it was you who killed those Reserve Course Students."_

"What? I didn't kill anyone. I haven't killed anyone."

" _Really? Yunosuke Nagahama, the Ultimate Archer was the one who singlehandedly killed twenty five Reserve Course students after the death of a friend's mother, a classmate, in fact. Do you remember that?"_

"A classmate's mother...you mean my mother? She was killed on Campus, Kotoko was vaguely talking about it in another one of my dreams. The Reserve Course killed my mother?"

" _Not your mother. My mother...she was killed, right in front of me and my sister. I did nothing...nothing but scream, and accept the despair...you however, did what I couldn't. Took revenge, you grabbed your bow and you started killing them all, until you yourself were taken out. She made sure of that."_

"You are lying. I am me, nobody else! I wouldn't kill anyone, and certainly not the Reserve Course students. I have no reason too. And stop fucking with my mind. Kotoko is my sister and the person who as killed was my mother." Yuno snapped.

" _Are you sure about that? Are you willing to fight for that memory? The one that doesn't rightfully belong to you?"_ the hooded figure snapped, standing up.

Yuno grit his teeth. He felt a sudden warmth in the center of his chest. His hand reached for it on instinct, feeling the handle of a Katana, he grabbed it with both hands pulling it out, though it was extremely painful to him. It was the same as the hooded figure's, except his was glowing a bright blue in color.

"I'll...fight...Just like I have been doing. Through each class trial, I not only fight for my life, but I fight for what is wrong, and not even you will take that away from me!" he snapped angrily.

" _Leave it to the intruder to fight for control of the body that isn't even his. Well, this will surely be interesting."_

The hooded man took his hood down, making Yuno go wide eyed. He was staring at himself, a tad older, but it was him. He didn't understand why, it made his head hurt even worse, and he was in a dream. That's when he realized it, he was in a dream, a lucid dream, where anything was possible, for the person before him mimicking his face was entirely possible. He grit his teeth, holding his sword outward.

"I get what this is. You are trying to fuck with me in my own dream, but I won't let that happen. I don't know what Bryce did to me, or when he did it, but you are clearly part of it. I will defeat you in this dream and purge you from my mind." Yuno said.

" _Purge me from your mind? That's rich, coming from you of all people Yuno. Stop messing around, this isn't your body, it never was in the first place. But if you want to know, I am the person you were before. The one who had control before our mind was tampered with, the owner of the person you are calling Yuno. My name is Hisashi Kirigiri, half brother of Kyoko Kirigiri and Kotoko Utsugi's adoptive brother. My mother Yuriko Kirigiri was the one killed on campus, and it was you that killed those kids, Yunosuke Nagahama. I don't know how you resumed control of my psyche, but it's time for you to be purged from my body!"_

The purple haired man jumped forward, sword aiming for Yuno's neck. He easily parried the attack, sending him sprawling back. He ran forward, throwing a low sword swipe, only for the other man to block it, blue and red sparks showered around them with each hit, neither of them wavering.

"Why don't you quit?" Yuno snapped, throwing an overhead attack.

" _I want my life back! For too long you've been taking control, and for too long I've been dormant. Can't you see this isn't you? The reason why you are getting memories in fragments is because they aren't yours to begin with. You are just a memory yourself, a memory that assumed control while I was asleep!"_

"Shut up! Shut up! You don't know what you are talking about! It's you that is the memory, it's you that's invading my brain, and it's you that's ruining my life!" Yuno howled, throwing another attack.

The purple haired man struggled a bit, almost losing his footing. He pushed back, sending Yuno flying back. The young Archer regained his footing, running full sprint toward his opponent.

" _Just accept it. You are already putting the pieces together, but you can't complete the puzzle because you won't let me. You need to go back to the shadows of my mind, and let me regain control, only then can we leave this academy, and I can regain what I have rightfully lost!"_

"Damn it. This is all Bryce's fault...he did this to me. He's the one who fucking did this to me. I am not going to let you ruin my life, my name is Yunosuke Nagahama, and you cannot control me!" he cried, once again clashing with the man.

This time purple sparks rained around them, the sheer intensity of the swords clashing was enough to send the two back. Yuno groaned in pain, clutching his head. His eyes widened as his opponent appeared before him, sword raised over his head.

" _Enough! I end this now. You are Hisashi Kirigiri, not Yunosuke Nagahama!"_ he shouted, stabbing the sword into Yuno's chest.

 _(Dream ends)_

Kyoko didn't know what to think. That dream...it had been well written, to well written. Yuno had spoken about his dreams to her in the past, leaving out the details he couldn't remember, but this dream was too detailed for him to have faked.

She closed the notebook, looking at him. It hit her like a ton of bricks, why he was acting like her, the fact that he resembled her just a tiny bit, the purple hair, the sense of familiarity in her own heart, and the sense of accomplishment she got for him every time he figured out a class trial. It all made sense. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper.

She handed it to him, allowing him to look at it. It was the profile that had been missing from the Registry, only the ink had been smudged so much it had become illegible. He tried to make sense of it, but clearly couldn't, so instead he looked at the picture, eyes widening. Instead of seeing his face, he saw the face of another teenager.

He had a more rounded face, with a smaller nose and small lips. His eyes were a bright shade of blue, as opposed to his own violet ones. He had short spiky blonde hair. The young man also had a few freckles on his face, and a small mole near his face. He was wearing the same thing he himself had worn on the first day of school, he even saw a long bow around his shoulder.

"What...who is this?" he asked.

"Yunosuke Nagahama, the Ultimate Archer of class 79." Kyoko said simply.

She took out another picture, this time of himself. He looked at it, comparing it to the one he was seeing, realizing that they weren't a match at all.

"Does...that mean my dream is real? I am Hisashi Kirigiri?" he asked.

"It would seem so. I however don't understand how this is possible, but the fact that you are having lucid dream fights with another person and the fact that your memories are fragmented means that someone messed with your mind. I don't know who or what, but it adds to the mystery of the academy, that is certain, which is why you have to speak with Alter Ego. The answers won't be clear until we help him." she said, stressing the fact out.

"Um...alright I suppose. Let's keep this low key though, I'm still having a hard time believing I'm not who I said I was and that I'm truly someone who no one knows." he said.

"Okay, now you are just confusing yourself and me. Just keep acting like Yuno until everything in your head is settled, and whatever you do, keep your mouth shut, especially to your girlfriend." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I don't tell her everything just so you know!" he said, puffing his cheeks a bit.

She laughed, for the first time since they had met, and he couldn't help laughing either. It had been a stressful situation for him at first, but now that they had figured out who he was, it made him feel a bit lighter. He couldn't help but pull her into a hug, a few tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Thanks to you, the haze is finally gone. I have one of my sisters back, but I still don't know who my father is, or why we are here. But it makes me happy to know you are safe." he said. He felt her wrap her arms around him, returning the gesture.

"It makes me happy too, little brother...but we should definitely keep this a secret, especially from him." she said, pulling away.

"Right...um...if you need too, I can let you stay with me and Sayaka tonight, seeing as Byakuya took your key."

"That won't be necessary. Now that I know I can fully trust you, I found something else that you need to know. There is an Eighteenth student hiding among us, Mukuro Ikusaba, I fear she could be our mastermind, especially with how hastily the mastermind filled the last empty stand in the courtroom. There is something about Ryouko that doesn't sit tight with me, and I'm going to figure it out."

"I trust that you will. Be safe alright?" he asked.

"Don't worry about me. I've made it this far right? Trust your big sister." she said, giving him a smile before disappearing up the stairs.

Yuno couldn't help but feel a bit happy at hearing that. However, his happiness fell short, when he realized the truth behind everything was still far from his grasp. Now, he would have another secret to keep from his friends, one that could very well turn the game onto it's head, and it was something Yuno wasn't looking forward too.


	26. Chapter 5 Act 2: Fighting for Hope

**A/N: Today marks the end of Danganronpa 3 Zetzubou-Hen, and I can honestly say, that I without a doubt loved it. Seeing Class 77 learning to make friends, dealing with the hardships of school and finally falling into despair, it was a long ride that ended on a bitter sweet note, and I honestly can't say I have seen a better anime in while that made me feel things, not like this one. Sure, most of it was predictable in the end and it was a little different, as certain events weren't even touched upon, but I watched it to the bitter end, and next week, is the final episode of Mirai-Hen, after that we bid goodbye to Hope's Peak Academy, and move on to a new school and brand new students. I will forever hold this series in my heart, ever since I was introduced to it, by a Let's Player on YouTube, I have grown with Makoto, Hajime and everyone else, and them having their somewhat happy ending will be bitter sweet, in a sense.**

 **Phew, now that I got my emotions out of the way, it's time to test your emotions. That's right, I have written a brand new chapter for the School Life of Mutual Killing, and holy shit is it emotional. I think i was still running on last weeks episode of Zetzubou-Hen and this weeks episode of Mirai-Hen, to be honest with you and seeing today's episode only cemented it further. I am deep within the bowels of Despair, and I am going to do my best to finish this story. That is a promise to myself. I am a decent way into the Prequel and I can say that it is coming along beautifully. Won't be long until I reach the end of that one, and have to experiance more despair at writing it's ending, seeing as I know just how bad Junko messed with everyone. I have big plans for both, and after they are done, I don't know if I will continue into Another Episode right away. Another Episode is sort of integral to the plot, seeing as we get information on the captives, but I honestly haven't a clue of how I will handle it, seeing as I've only written things revolving the class trials and regular school life. I don't really want to follow the plot of that game either, but it is once again, integral to the story...I'm sure I'll figure it out.**

 **As for a story revolving around Super Danganronpa 2 Goodbye Despair? That will definitely happen at some point, once I finish the game. currently, I'm on Chapter 4 of Trigger Happy Havoc, and Chapter 3 of Goodbye Despair. I don't want to continue chapter three because three of my baes fucking die in it, and I don't want to see it happen, fuck...this game of emotions is a dangerous one. Guess I'll have to pull the trigger and fire my truth bullets until i click empty. I digress...you've all listened to my drabble long enough.**

 **Without further adooo, here is the newest chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing II Chapter 5 Act 2! Enjoy it!**

 **For reference- The first set of bold and italics are Yuno and Alter Ego talking, with the bold being what Yuno types and the italics being Alter Ego's response.**

 **Any italics from here on out, is Yuno speaking in his mind, or reading something in his mind.**

 **The bold from here on out, is Hisashi's reponses to Yuno**

 **If you are confused, well...I apologize, but that's the best key I can make right now, too lazy to go back and put stars next to everything with thier meaning. Sorry!**

 **Update 7/1/17: Chapter 5 Act 2 has been edited and re uploaded, this contains various grammar and continuity fixes as well as some new added content.**

Danganronpa

The High School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 5

Act 2

Fighting For Hope

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

Yuno waited for everyone to leave the plaza to actually go back in. once he was, he headed straight into the Bath house. Making sure no one was there, he walked over to the locker that held Alter Ego, opening the lock, he slowly opened the door, giving a small wave to the camera.

" _Yuno! I'm so glad to see you again!"_

" **Same here. Kyoko said you wanted to speak to me?"** he typed. The program nodded, opening a file on the computer.

" _I was able to fully analyze the files on this computer. I found several things of interest, but Kyoko wished for me to discuss them with you before sharing it with anyone else. One file that did catch my interest was named, the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. It details the death of the Student Council members at the hand of a student named Mukuro Ikusaba."_

His eyes widened a bit. No wonder Kyoko thought she was the mastermind, it all made sense to him now. He read the details on the file that was on the computer, seeing just how messed up the scene had actually been. According to the details mentioned by Kiriko Nishizawa, she had stated that she and the Council were put into a Mutual Killing game. His fingers flew over the keyboard, already typing his response.

" **A mutual killing game? Is that what Nishizawa said?"**

" _Indeed. She described it as being bribed and blackmailed with motives and then being forced to kill each other. Mukuro Ikusaba apparently had done research on all of them, and when the thought of their darkest secrets coming to light, the Student Council had no choice but to kill each other, to save themselves from having their secrets exposed. She was very adamant about not telling her own. Her file was mysteriously destroyed before police were able to secure it."_

Thinking back on it, it made sense as to why that file had been in the classroom. That had indeed been the spot where it took place, and all of the profiles of the dead we're currently in his possession. But what did the mastermind gain from leaving it out in the open? Or did they do that on purpose so they could find it and start an investigation?

"Aha, so I was right to find you here. Just what are you doing with Alter Ego?"

Yuno grit his teeth, looking at the doorway only to find the sneering Affluent Progeny. He also noticed the rest of his classmates were there as well, curious looks on their faces. He sighed, standing up and setting the laptop down.

"I was just checking to see if Alter Ego had found anything on the files of this computer." he said firmly.

"So you thought it would be a good idea to keep it from the rest of us? We have the right to know what Alter Ego is doing just like everyone else." He continued.

"If I had gotten everyone here than that would have exposed us to the mastermind. There may not be a camera here but that doesn't mean they won't find out about it if we're not careful." he said. He shook his head, glancing back at the computer.

"Whatever the case, now that you are here I will reiterate what he discovered. Apparently, the classroom on the fifth floor was the site of a mutual killing game." he said.

"Mutual killing game? Like what we're going through?" Leon asked, coming further into the room, everyone had now gathered around him. Yuno gave them a nod. He typed something into the chatbox, and turned the computer toward them.

" _The event known as the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy was one where the Student Council was forced to kill each other. Sixteen people ended up becoming victims of this game. Two survived, one being the heavily injured Soshun Murasame, the Ultimate Student Body President, and Kiriko Nishizawa, the Ultimate Physician who held the position of Head of the Health Committee. There was a third party as well, a person who was created with the money collected from the Reserve Course students."_

"Wait...did he say Kiriko Nishizawa?" Mikan said, looking at Yuno.

"Yeah he did? Do you know her?" he asked, earning a nod from the Nurse.

"Of course I know her. She and I worked part time at the hospital before I was selected to be in Class 77. She was already accepted into the academy at that point, and had put in a good word for me to get in. I would never forget her...she was the only friend I had, and one of the first responders for when I had that acid thrown at me." she said.

"You had acid thrown at you?" Hina asked, completely shocked to hear this, even Byakuya was stunned.

"Yeah, but that's a story for another time. I didn't know something so horrible had happened to her." she said, looking at the ground. Yuno took a deep breath, unzipping his vest. He drew the file he had salvaged from the Fifth Floor, and handed it to her.

"Tell me, do you recognize any of these people?" he asked.

"Where did you find this?" Byakuya asked.

"In that classroom on the fifth floor. I was going to read them all and see if I recognized any of these people, but so far the only person I recognize is the survivor, Kiriko Nishizawa. Go ahead, flip through it if you want." he said, turning back to Alter Ego, who had been patiently waiting.

" **Did you find anything else of Interest within the hard drive?"**

" _Why yes. Following this incident, Hope's Peak Academy was forced to shut down as an educational institution. The video of the First Mutual Killing game was broadcast to the Reserve Course students and an event known as the Parade broke out. Eventually that lead to an event named, the Most Despair Inducing Incident in all of Human History, shortened down to The Tragedy. The academy was sealed off, and transformed into a shelter for the remaining students to live the rest of their lives there, away from all the destruction."  
_

"The Most Despair Inducing Incident in all of Human History? I don't recall anything like that." Makoto said.

"Me either. Are you sure you aren't pulling our legs computer dude?" Leon asked, even though Alter Ego couldn't even hear him. Yuno rolled his eyes, typing his reply.

" _Yes, I wouldn't lie to you. This event did happen...it took place nearly over a year ago, as was stated in one of the files. The idea of transforming the academy into a shelter was brought on by the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. I discovered that he was a man in his late thirties and that there is a high chance that he is still on campus."_

"So, that bastard is the one responsible for pulling the bear's strings. It all makes sense now." Leon said.

"He's the one that did this to us? The one that made everyone start killing each other?" Sayaka asked.

"No it's not him." Yuno said.

"How can you be so certain? You haven't even met the man yet." Byakuya said, earning a glare from the man.

"Kyoko told me once that she believed he wasn't responsible, and I think she's right. He wouldn't do that, why would he if he turned this place into a shelter?" Yuno asked.

"Well, it is fishy that he hasn't made an appearance. It would make sense for him to be the likely culprit." Hina said.

"But it isn't...I just have a feeling you know. Everything isn't as it would seem, I am absolutely certain about that. Kyoko was onto something before, but since everyone basically allowed Byakuya to treat her like garbage, I'm not so sure she'll be keen on helping us." Yuno said.

"It's not like we had a choice in the matter. She's been acting shady, so if it helps me sleep better at night." Leon said.

"I can't believe you would say that man. She isn't the enemy." Makoto said firmly.

"Whatever the case, as it stands the Headmaster is the most likely suspect, end of discussion." the Affluent Progeny said angrily.

"Once again taking the reins and steering the conversation, you are becoming just like Kiyotaka, and I don't know if that's a good thing." Taeko said, crossing her arms.

Yuno had taken notice of how she had gotten back into her Gothic Lolita dress, though she still wore her hair down. It was a little odd seeing her in it again, especially after what had happened to her other dress in the past.

" _As a final note, I would like to share a video file that I found within this computer. This video was uploaded a year ago, and it shows the gruesome deaths of the Student Council. It had been heavily edited, with different kinds of animation software but I was able to remove everything and show you the undoctored footage, do you wish to see it?"_

"No thanks. I think I've had enough death for a life time. I'm sure everyone else here agrees as well." Yuno said, looking at the others. They all gave him the same look as he typed his answer.

" _Alright, I'll just save the video in case anyone wishes to view it. I still have some files to review, so until our next meeting everyone! If you have anymore questions I'll be glad to answer them."_

Yuno typed his farewell and set the computer back into the locker, closing the door up and locking it.

"None of this makes sense to me. The death of those students, the headmaster, us being locked up? It's all just a jumbled mess." Leon said.

"Try not too think about it too hard. We'll just take it one day at a time." Taeko said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He gave her a nod, showing her his signature goofy grin.

"Guys, how about we forget about all this for awhile and head up to the Music hall? I've been dying to sing something and I know it will cheer you all up." Sayaka said.

"My apologies, but I haven't the time for a concert. I shall be conducting my own investigation. Yuno, if you continue hiding things from us, I will be forced to follow you everywhere you go, please don't let it come to that." Byakuya said, leaving the bath house. The young man glared at his retreating figure.

"Unbearable prick." he muttered under his breath.

"Forget about him. Lets all just head to the Music hall and forget about this for awhile." Leon said, leading everyone out of the bath house. Sayaka had raced off, telling them that she would meet them up there once she was in costume. As everyone was heading toward the fourth floor, Yuno caught Makoto's hand forcing him to stop.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Mukuro Ikusaba, she's the eighteenth student hidden among us. Kyoko is doing some research on her, it's best if you watch your back. Keep this to yourself, until the time is right. There is a secret room in the boys bathroom on the second floor, containing several documents. I want you to check it out when you can. If we work together, we'll be able to figure this out." he said, earning a nod from Makoto. Yuno walked off, heading toward the stairs, leaving the Ultimate Lucky Student to ponder what he had just shared with him.

It wasn't easy, but he had waited for everyone to make it past the bathrooms before he headed back. If he ran into Sayaka on the way, she would question it, so when he heard her footsteps he quickly ducked into the Entrance Hall. Once he knew she was gone, he ducked back into the empty hallway, heading back towards the Plaza.

Once there, he waiting for the camera to look the other way before making his way back into the Bath house. Walking toward the lockers, he opened it up, looking at Alter Ego, who gave him a smile.

"Is something wrong Yuno?" she asked.

" **Are you able to make a copy of yourself? Should something happen, I want us to have another way of getting access to your program."** he typed.

" _Of course. Copying myself onto another device isn't nearly as difficult as one would make it seem. However, master told me that the handbooks you all got can't be tampered with. What will I copy myself onto?"_

He shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out the smart phone he found on the Fifth Floor, along with the charger. He plugged it into the USB port on the side of the laptop and waited for it to boot up. He sighed with relief when it turned on and started scanning the files on the memory card. He set it down next to the laptop.

" **Will this device do? It's the latest model of Smart phone, the memory card should be big enough for your source code to be copied on."**

" _It'll do just fine Yuno. I will have to divert my processing power into making a copy of me, but it should be done by tonight at the earliest."_

" **Thanks Alter Ego. Let no one know about this save for Kyoko, I may trust my friends, but she's the only one I can truly trust with the investigation...after all she is my...nevermind. Keep up the good work, I will return later today."**

" _Understood! I wish you luck on your investigation!"_

With that, he closed and locked the locker, placing the key in his pocket. As he made his way outside the bath house however, he saw Ryouko wondering around the plaza. Quickly ducking behind the curtain, he narrowed his eyes as he followed her movements. He noticed she was carrying something in her hands, on closer inspection, he saw that it was a knife, not an ordinary knife either, but a Survival Knife. He heard her dorm door close seconds later.

" _What is she planning to do with that knife? More importantly, where did she find it? She's the biggest enigma we have right now, I need to find a way to get my hands on that notebook of hers. I'm sure that has all the answers I am looking for."_

Nodding to himself, he started heading toward the Music Hall, a plan already forming in his head.

At the same time, the Ultimate Analyst was sitting in her bedroom, the knife firmly clutched in her hand. She spared a glance at the camera on the other side of the room, seeing the pillowcases she had put on it hadn't been removed. Nodding to herself she moved toward the back of the room, setting the knife down on the desk. She opened the bottom drawer, and rummaged through it, pulling out a Velcro sheath, the same size as the knife, without a second thought, she slipped the knife into it, almost as if it was meant to be placed inside.

Placing the knife in the bottom drawer and closing it, she walked over to her bed, sitting down on it. She looked around, the area was vaguely familiar to her, but she didn't know why. Her back had started hurting a bit, and she felt rather uncomfortable with her large chest, it was as if she had them surgically placed onto her body. The stitch marks above her heart was also a cause for concern, as she didn't remember getting stabbed. Whatever the case, Ryouko felt out of place in this academy, and she didn't know why.

She had decided on a whim to read through her journal entrees. The first page had been dotted with information regarding several things she found odd. It had been a map and a placement for the academy, along with her classes, but so far she hadn't had any. There was also something about a mental disorder that she had, that made her forget everything unless she wrote it in her notebook, the thing was, she remembered everything perfectly.

Her meeting with the blonde girl in the other building, her killing her friend Akihiko, being put to sleep and then brought to the academy, she remembered it all, but if she said anything about it, she would definitely cause everyone to doubt her, and point their accusatory fingers her way, and that was something she didn't need.

Her notebook also said something very very important, something that had clouded her judgment of everything around her. It wasn't her handwriting, that much was certain, but it held a lot of information on it, in that one paragraph that was written down.

" _Nothing is as it seems. Your sister is a vile excuse of a woman, who turned the world on its head. She did this to you, to all of us. She messed with your mind, on a level that you'll never be able to understand. I can't tell you the truth to everything, not if it means risking my underclassmen and my roommate. All of the answers are in the academy, and most of all, it rests up to the Kirigiri siblings to discover the truth behind Hope's Peak Academy. My last message to you is this, you are not Ryouko Otonashi, that woman never existed. You are Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, member of Fenrir and the future Hope for those inside. Don't let her cloud your Hope and taint it with Despair, it's exactly what she wants."_

She had read and reread this many many times, and it didn't make sense to her at all. The Kirigiri siblings? So far she had only met one with that name, and she didn't trust her at all. The truth behind the academy? How was she supposed to find it if she didn't know where to start? The Ultimate Soldier? She was an Analyst, and finally her name. Mukuro Ikusaba. That name made no sense to her, she had always been Ryouko Otonashi...right?

" _She messed with you mind, on a level that you'll never be able to understand."_

She grit her teeth, angrily tossing her notebook aside. It fell to the ground with a soft thump. Laying back onto her bed, she looked at her ceiling, her bright crimson hair falling around her body. She felt a stinging in her eyes, as a few tears had slipped out. She scratched them with the back of her hand but that only seemed to irritate her more. Sighing to herself, she walked into her bathroom, opening the tap water. She splashed water on her face, trying to ease the stinging in her eyes, only to make it worse.

Trying to blink a few times to get some excess water out, she felt something rigid on her eyelid. She carefully reached into her eye, prodding it with her finger tip, only to make whatever was bothering her stick to it. When she pulled it, she realized what it was. It was a contact lens. A red contact lens.

She rapidly reached into her other eye, taking the other contact off. Washing her eyes out, she dried her face off with a towel, looking at her reflection. Her eyes were a bit puffy, but what was staring at her was different than normal.

Her eyes were blue, a light cornflower blue. Not crimson as she had once thought. Taken aback, she took a step back, hitting the tile behind her. Her head hurt and she grit her teeth, reaching for her temples.

"Why does it hurt so much?" she cried out. The pain was too much for her, and she ended up sliding down the wall, slipping into a restless sleep.

Yuno finally made his way to the fourth floor, pausing to catch his breath. He looked back at the stairs cringing a bit. He had gotten tired from just climbing a few set of stairs. Then again you had to walk across every floor just to make it to the next stairwell.

"Maybe I should exercise more. Hmm, did I exercise regularly before all of this? I remember lifting weights for my archery tournaments. Oh wait...those never happened." he said, muttering the last part to himself.

That was a tough reality he had yet to swallow. He knew now of who he was, but just because he did didn't mean he would have to accept it. He was confused and scared, that if Hisashi permanently took over, his memories would be wiped clean. It was a theory he had been working on ever since that nightmare.

What he was experiencing in his mind was an internal power struggle, almost like another personality trying to be dominant, however in his case, it was a memory that was being taken over. Hisashi had said that he was a memory, but Yuno didn't want to accept it. He had always been Yuno, and for all intents and purposes, he very well could be Yuno, and Hisashi the memory.

Then again, the evidence Kyoko found was alarming in its own right. His file had been doctored, the person that was on it wasn't him, and that was certain.

"Yuno...are you alright dear?"

He looked up, seeing Taeko standing before him, most likely having had come out of the Music Hall. He gave her a nod, shaking his head a bit.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired from climbing the stairs...and everything she told us downstairs. It's all melting together into the Hope's Peak Academy pot of riddles." he said, ending it with a chuckle.

"Yes, but it isn't wise to think about this all now. It will only serve to stress you out more than you already are. We don't you to faint again, especially after what happened last time." she said, tone filled with worry.

"I know, it's just...hard not to think about it. Hey, Taeko I have a question for you." he said, gaining her attention.

"What is it that you require of me? I'll do my best to answer it truthfully." she said, placing her joined hands under her chin. It seems her previous mannerisms we're returning. He rolled his eyes.

"Um...why was it that you lied to all of us, about your name?" he asked.

"Shouldn't that be obvious dear Yuno? You already know why it had to be done." She said.

"No...I know why it had to be done. But what I want to know is why _it_ had to be done...you could have just...come clean to us with your name. We wouldn't have cared." he said.

"It had to be done because all of you wouldn't have accepted me as I was from day one. I know it and you know it. Now that everything has happened, I have felt the need to let out my innermost emotions. I can trust all of you to see me for who I am. In any other scenario, that wouldn't be possible." she replied.

"You say that but...is that really what you feel? Are you so sure that people would be too quick to accept you for who you are?" he asked.

"You tell me, would everyone accept you for who you are, should you tell them what you aren't willing to tell us now?" she asked. His eyes widened.

"Don't act so surprised. You should make it an effort to talk to your sister in private as opposed to an empty hallway where anyone can hear." she said. He sighed, lowering his gaze.

"I feel stupid now. Here I am asking you why you lied to everyone when I am holding back my own secrets."

"It's alright dear Yuno. You are merely trying to find the answer to a question that's plaguing you. Don't beat around the bush, ask me the question you wanted to ask me." she said.

"Alright, this may sound a little odd but...does Taeko ever fight with Celestia for dominance? Or do you have control of who you want to be and at what time?" he asked. She looked at him oddly.

"You were right. That is an odd question, but if I we're to answer it truthfully, would it matter to you in the end?"

"It might lead me to discovering something about myself." he said.

"I suppose I can answer you then. In the beginning, it was hard for me to keep the two from fighting each other. The true me wanted to be the dominant one, but Celestia wanted to overcome her, finally I decided to let the chips fall where they may. Taeko and Celestia, they became one and the same. Over time, Celestia was who I became, and all traces of Taeko were erased, until a few weeks ago that is." she replied.

"So you let them become a single person? Interesting...thanks for answering my question Taeko. It means a lot to me that you did."

"You are very welcome. If I may inquire, what do you need this information for?" she asked.

"Nothing specific, just some...internal matters." he said with a shrug. He brushed past her, heading toward the Music Hall. Taeko however caught his arm, forcing him to look at her. She looked into his eyes for a few seconds, taking a step back.

"Your eyes...their red." she said.

"They are? I haven't been getting enough sleep lately...to much research and stuff, and all of the nightmares that afflict me keep me up the rest of the night. I haven't had a decent night sleep in forever."

"No dear, not the whites of your eyes, your irises...they had specks of red in them, all coming out from the pupil." she said.

She took a small mirror from her pocket and handed it to him. He looked at his reflection, seeing all of the crimson specks coming from his pupil.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"Yuno, are you sure you are alright? A person's eyes shouldn't be doing that, my crimson eyes are natural..but the last person who's eyes changed was..."

"I am not going to become like Bryce!" he exclaimed, making her jump a bit. He snapped the mirror closed, handing it back to her.

"I wasn't going to say you were...just...be careful alright?" she asked. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"You don't even have to worry. I'll be fine, besides I'm sure my sister and I will find a solution to our predicament soon enough. Don't lose hope." he said, giving her a bright grin.

He continued onward to the Music Hall, where everyone else was already waiting. They we're all in their little groups, talking among themselves, while Sayaka was on stage looking at something on the computer.

She looked absolutely stunning in her idol outfit. She was wearing a light pink halter top, with a frilly hem. The area around the arm holes was light pink in color, blending in with the darker pink of the fabric. She was wearing a dark pink bow around her neck, with a bright blue jewel in the center.

The top had a hole in the center, showing off a generous amount of her cleavage. The top left her midriff exposed, showing off her tone stomach. She was wearing a dark pink layered skirt, the top layer was light pink in color, while the other two layers we're white. She was wearing a pair of white leather boots, which had a slight heel on them. On her hands was a pair of white gloves, with frills on the edges. Her long blue hair was tied up into ponytails, with white hair ties.

She sported a frilly pink bow on the right side of her head, and she was wearing her favorite Kitty Barrette on the left side of her head. Overall, she looked amazing, and it was obvious that he was staring. He felt someone jab him in the ribs, and looked to his right seeing the grinning face of Leon.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." he joked.

"Am I not allowed to stare at my girlfriend? Last I recall you stare at Taeko all the bloody time." he said, punching him in the arm.

"Ow, that still hurts! Although you are right, I stare at her all the time, but not like a vulture stalking it's prey. Thankfully no one noticed." he said. Yuno rolled his eyes.

"Sure whatever. Did Kyoko say anything about showing up?" he asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"Uh...no she said she had business to attend too...don't really know what that is...are you worried about her? Thinking of adding a third wheel to the relationship?" he asked.

"Hell no! I would never do that, especially with Kyoko of all people!" he snapped, earning the attention of everyone. He chuckled dryly, brushing some strands from his eyes.

"Listen, the reason why I am worried about her is because she's without a way to sleep tonight, now that Byakuya took her key and is off doing who knows what. You never know what may happen, someone can be killed again."

"No one is going to get killed Yuno. I mean look at who's left, Makoto, Mikan, Sayaka, Kyoko, Hina, Me, You, Taeko, Byakuya...the nine of us agreed to not kill anyone else. As for Ryouko...we don't know anything about her, but she's too ditzy to do anything. We'll find a way out of here together." he said.

"Are you sure about that? Now is when we should be worried the most. Seven of us are dead, and at any time, Monokuma can pull a new motive. He's shown that he has what it takes to break us, Bryce was a prime example of that, we can't lose sight of the goal or ourselves. If I we're you, I would trust myself and myself alone. Anyone of us can become the next blackened, and I'm ashamed to admit it might be me the next time." he said.

"Why...would you even say that? You've been fighting Monokuma and this game since day one and now you are going to just...lay down and take it? This isn't you man...what's happening? Is something wrong with you?" Leon asked.

"I can't tell you...I'm not so sure what is going on myself. But all I can say is...Ryouko is acting shady...I want to try and take her notebook from her, I'm sure it has the answers I'm looking for, at least some of them." he said.

"Well, if you must know, little miss mystery isn't here right now, in fact she didn't even show up." Leon said.

"And none of you went to get her? What if something happened to her? What if someone did something?" he asked.

"We are all here man, none of us would do anything."

"But we can't say none of us wouldn't. I'm gonna go look for her, I saw her on the first floor last time, split up and search the school would you?" he said, darting out of the Music hall. Taeko watched him go, a worried expression on her face.

"Leon...I fear something bad is going to happen, and he is going to be the cause of it." she said.

"Don't say stuff like that sweetheart. You can't just assume that stuff, especially after he saved your life." he snapped angrily.

"It's not Yuno I am fearing for, it's for the person he may become, the one that is currently infected with Despair." she muttered.

Leon gave her an odd look. It wasn't commonplace for Taeko of all people to be that worried over someone, if she had worries, she would face them head on and talk to the person she is worrying about, this side of her was startling and scaring him. He looked back at his friends, the same expression on their faces.

"Split up and search each floor, we can't stop until Ryouko turns up, and if she's dead you better turn yourself in, because I am not going to be in another classroom trial." he snapped angrily.

Yuno raced through the halls of the academy, heading back down to the first floor. He didn't know why, but it had been an impulse decision to go there. He knew that's where he had last seen the red haired woman, so it was where he would start his investigation. He stopped in front of the Hotel Plaza, catching his breath.

He licked his dry lips, slowly making his way into the plaza. He looked around, not seeing the red haired woman anywhere. He looked around for a few seconds, sparing a glance at the cafeteria, the bath house and the laundry room before heading toward the dorms. He stopped in front of Junko's bedroom, now having the faceplate that read Ryouko. He lifted his arm to ring the bell, but instead he grasped the handle. He jerked it a bit, and to his surprise it was open. Taking a deep breath he moved into the room, looking around.

"Ryouko? Are you in there?" he cried out, getting no response.

A faint scent of roses caught his nose, and he noticed a few of the clothes manikins that had been in the room had been moved to the other side of the room. Walking further into the room, he noticed her discarded notebook on the far side of the room, opened and facing down. He stopped to look at it, and walked over to it, picking it up.

" _I shouldn't be doing this, this is stealing...then again I need to confirm a few things myself."_

He closed the small book and placed it in his back pocket, tucking it behind his handbook. He looked to the far side of the room, seeing the bathroom door was open, the bright light streaming out. He heard the tap water running and moved toward it, seeing part of the girl's black boot. He walked the rest of the way, seeing the girl had slumped onto the floor. He turned to the sink, turning the water off. He noticed the red circular objects on the counter top, and picked one up looking at it closely.

" _Contact lenses? She wears colored contacts? But that means..."_

He set the contact down and knelt before the redhead. Her face was scrounged up, and she was groaning in her sleep, her bangs we're soaked with sweat and her cheeks were tinged pink. He placed his hand on her forehead, his eyes widening.

"She's burning up, I have to take her to the Nurses office." he said out loud. He picked the girl up from the floor, and walked out of the bathroom and across the room, stopping briefly to close the door. He quickened his pace heading toward the academy proper.

"Well well well, what is this?"

He stopped, glaring at the monochrome bear that had appeared spontaneously beside him. His teeth were grit with anger, his upper lip furled. The bear took a step back.

"Whoa, I am not the enemy here buddy. After all, I wouldn't dare hurt one of my precious students." he said.

"Out with it, what do you want from me?" Yuno snapped.

"From you? I want nothing, but from Hisashi...I want something."

"How...how do you know about that? Wait...that's a dumb question...I'm willing to bet the one pulling the strings knew all along. What is it? Have I become a threat to your little game?" he asked firmly.

"Not really, I knew something like this would happen so I came prepared. I have an...offer that you can't turn down. You see, you are on the final stages my friend, and if you want to make it another day as yourself then you'll want to hear what I have to say." he said.

"The final stages? Of what? Don't pull some bullshit on me right now, I'm not sick, especially not with something terminal." Yuno snapped. Ryouko groaned, moving a bit in his arms.

"You see that's the thing...you aren't suffering from some terminal disease...but it is a serious one. I can tell by the specks in your eyes that you only have about seventeen hours left, before Despair Fever consumes you whole."

"Despair...Fever? No...I mustn't listen...all you'll do is lead me awry, like you did with Bryce, it isn't happening." he said, turning to leave.

"So...after you got an eye witness from the secret rooms files, you want to know more and now that I am offering you the escape you are turning it away. My my, the Ultimate Archer really is messing with your brain isn't he?"

Yuno stopped, and he didn't know why. It was as if he wasn't in control of his body anymore. Monokuma wasn't speaking to him, not directly, he was talking to Hisashi, the man who owned the body.

He tried, he tried with all his might to gain control, but it seemed as if the person within his mind was finally gaining more control than he ever was. He couldn't let him win, he couldn't let him fall to despair.

"What...what is it that you want from me?" Yuno asked, his eyes widening.

His voice had changed, no longer was it preppy and filled with happiness and hope. This voice, it was deep and dulcet, calm and collected, it wasn't like his voice at all, and it was scaring him.

"That girl in your arms, Ryouko Otonashi, is the Ultimate Analyst, a young woman who can over analyze any situation and turn it against you. She is a threat, not just to you but yo your friends as well, after all, what if she we're to orchestrate something to the caliber of what Bryce did during the first class trial? He set you up to die and Junko ended up the target. He set up Taka as well, and he forced Chihiro to do a dirty deed. In hindsight, I should thank him, he alone set the bar high, he got the ball rolling and started us on this beautiful game of Hope and Despair. Without his plotting, this game wouldn't have started, and for that I have to thank him...oh if only he we're still here, I would hand him a trophy."

"Get on with it. I haven't the time for your useless monologue." Yuno snapped angrily.

"Ah right...well, let's say you we're to...I dunno, dispose of her? Then you would be safe again, after all she is the odd duck out, the new arrival to Hope's Peak Academy, and the most likely to fall to the scrutiny that you all call doubt. If she we're removed, everyone would be free to live their communal life styles undisturbed forever and ever. No more murders, and no more class trials.

After all, you so boldly decided to quit in the middle of the game, just before it reached it's climax. What say you to another wager? A class trial to settle it all? After all, it wouldn't be precious Hisashi who would be convicted, it would be little old Yuno, and once he is gone, you would be free to resume your life as the person you we're before. Hisashi Kirigiri, the Ultimate Private Investigator."

" _No...You Can't Listen to him you fool! THIS IS WHAT HE WANTS."_ Yuno shouted, only to realize no words had come out of his mouth. His vision was starting to cloud over.

"I would be able to return to myself? But I still wouldn't have my memories of this place, those would die with Yuno."

"Yes, but you don't need them. After all, all of the friends you have here aren't real at all. They are just...make believe...none of this is real in fact. Think about it, all of your friends are still alive somewhere am I right?"

" _Hisashi, for the love of all that is good, don't fall to this. You are better than that. You are her brother, you know he's just baiting you. Kyoko would never fall to this!"_

"All you have to do is rid yourself of Ryouko Otonashi, and pin it on someone vulnerable...Makoto Naegi perhaps?"

"Why him? What has he done to you?"

"To me? Nothing, but there is something I don't like from him, something that has been bothering me for awhile...I want him disposed off, simple as that. It would be great if you we're to take care of that for me, and when it's all over, I'll give you the cure, free of charge. What's say you? In seventeen hours, you'll be yourself again and you will be able to use your superior talent to pin it all on the Ultimate Lucky Student, no one would see it coming."

" _DAMN IT. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY'RE SETTING HIM UP."_

"Hmm...I suppose you have a point. But he is hearing all of this, are you sure it's wise to let him run amok?"

"He isn't going to say anything, because if he tells any person in any way, shape or form, I will murder Sayaka Maizono right before his eyes."

" _NO! PLEASE! I WON'T SAY ANYTHING JUST DON'T HURT HER!"_

"It seems we have an agreement. I will let him regain control, but come night time, I shall set it all up. This is the Ultimate Analyst's final night."

"We have an accord. Don't keep me waiting~"

With that, the robotic bear disappeared, and so did Hisashi's presence in Yuno's mind. He fell to his knees, clutching Ryouko's unconscious form. Tears rolled down his cheeks, as his sobs filled the empty plaza.

" _Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?"_

" _ **Personally, you didn't do anything to me. But I am sick of the memory having control, this is my body and I will regain it. If it takes doing this to get it back, then so be it."**_ Hisashi replied mentally. Yuno grit his teeth.

" _Asshole! Can't you see you just played into their hands. Once you commit murder there is no going back from it! Bryce did the same thing, on the false promise that he could get out of the academy and find his mother's killer, and look how that turned out, he was the killer all along. Are you going to sit there and tell me that you condone that? That you'll accept Execution if you get voted as the blackened?"_

" _ **Of course I wouldn't accept it. But I'm not the one who is going to fall am I? It is you that will, and when you are gone, I will be back, and as the Ultimate Private Investigator that I am I will find the one responsible for trapping us in here. Now let me rest, I must prepare for what's to come. And remember, one peep and the Idol gets it."**_

Hisashi's presence finally left him alone, leaving Yuno a blubbering mess. Was this what had become? If he told anyone Sayaka would pay the price. He couldn't let that happen, not at all...but he also couldn't let Makoto take the fall for what he was about to do.

He looked at the camera on the other side of the plaza, and he almost wished he could destroy the damn thing. His eyes started stinging a bit. He pulled out his handbook, being careful not to drop Ryouko, and looked at his reflection. The specks of red had become more pronounced, over taking most of the lavender that made up his irises.

" _Hisashi is falling into despair. That means...this whole time he's been observing, watching all of our friends getting murdered, and all of the class trials...it's been affecting him too, and that's what's driving him to despair...this despair fever, was it because of Bryce? What did he do to me?"_

"Yuno, there you are...what's wrong with Ryouko?" Sayaka asked, stopping in front of him.

"She has a high fever, and for a second she stopped breathing. I think she's sick and I don't know with what." he said. It killed him to lie to her, but he would have to do it, lest he risk her life.

"Alright, let's take her to Mikan, she should know what's going on." she said, standing up. He shoved his handbook in his pocket and followed her toward the Nurses office. Once there, he set the sleeping girl down on one of the beds.

"Wait here, I'll be back. In the mean time why don't you soak one of those rags in cold water and put it on her forehead? That should help for a little bit." she said, closing the door behind herself.

Yuno walked over to the sink, running the tap water until the rag was fully soaked. He wrung it out and turned the water off, heading back toward the sleeping girl. He placed the rag on her forehead, making her groan a bit. He licked his lips and turned around, looking away from her.

"I can't...I can't face her anymore." he muttered to himself.

He looked at the clock, seeing that it was just after 2:30 in the afternoon. Seventeen hours, that was too little time to do anything, and he couldn't tell anyone about it either. His eyes widened a bit when he realized.

" _I can't tell anyone, but does that mean I can tell her? She isn't technically a student here, nor is she a living person. She's just a program after all, that means I can tell her about it. But...in the event of my death...what will happen?"_

Thinking back on it, he still had the phone as well. If Alter Ego had an exact copy, then he could leave that copy with someone else. He would have to sneak her out and take her to his sister, she would be the only one he would be able to trust with it. And even after his death, he would be able to help them, especially since Monokuma knew about the secret room, as of now, he wouldn't doubt it the place had been scrubbed clean of everything.

He couldn't take the risk, not with the short timer he had. He wanted to cry, to just sit in a corner and whimper until it was time, but he couldn't do that. He had come to far to give up now, in the face of despair, he wasn't going to give up.

" _I've come a long way. I may not be who I was in the beginning, but Goddamn it I am not going to fail now. I am Yunosuke Nagahama, Ultimate Archer of Class 79 of Hope's Peak Academy, that's what's written on my handbook, that's who I was when I came to this academy, and that's who I am going to be when I get out, whether it's alive or dead. In the event of my demise, my hope will rest on her, my sister will set this straight."_

He sighed, wiping his eyes free of tears. He leaned back against Ryouko's bed, placing his hand over hers. He reached for her notebook, which was still safe within his pocket. He pulled it out and opened it, flipping to the first page. He read over it, his eyes widening at all of the information that was within.

" _Day One: I woke up in a white room, to a doctor named Akihiko Shouji. He was the Ultimate Surgeon and told me that I had been in a life threatening surgery that saved my life. Apparently the memory disease I have made it so I forgot everything. That's a shame, but at least I have a new friend."_

" _Day Two: Everything is getting easier, my back hurts a bit and I'm contemplating on having Akihiko give me a breast reduction surgery, just so I can shrink the girls a bit. I don't even remember why they are so big, perhaps it's in the family? I don't know. I looked out the window and saw a lot of red outside. Red skies as far as the eye could see. Akihiko said it was nothing to worry about, and reassured me that everything would be fine."_

" _Day Three: I looked out my room window today, and I saw the husk of a building besides the hospital I am in. In it's hayday, I'm sure it would have been beautiful. It was taller than anything I had ever seen, state of the art and looked like it had been finished recently, at least until whatever happened to it happened. There was a gaping hole on the side of the building, near the top of it, and several rotting corpses dotted the court yard. Akihiko said this was the skeleton of what had once been the institution of hope, New Hope's Peak Academy. The old building had been shut down for some reason, still it is interesting to think about what happened there."_

" _Day Four: I wondered around the area today, trying to get my strength back, even though I don't remember what happened the day before, my notebook kept me informed. I looked out the window in the hallway, and saw another building not far from where we were. In fact, that brick building was almost adjacent to ours, minus the fence blocking the way. Akihiko said that it was the Old Hope's Peak Academy building, that had been turned into a shelter. When asked if I would be visiting the people within soon, he said it wasn't up to him. Wonder what he meant by that?"_

" _Day Five: Can you believe it's been five days already? I can't even begin to describe how happy that is. Since last night, I've been remembering everything, which means I'm getting better! Tensions seemed to have gotten a little high last night, I heard some gunfire coming from the old school building. We're people trying to get in? We're they seeking refuge? No, Akihiko said that not a lot of sane people we're left, not since the virus struck. I wish I could leave this building, but it isn't safe."_

" _Day Six: Akihiko is dead...he was killed by a blonde girl. Her hair was kind of odd, with that unnatural curve it had to it. She held me hostage, and then a pretty girl on a screen came on, my sister maybe? I dunno. This girl shot Akihiko, and told me a lot of things that I can't remember. My only friend is dead...and I don't even know what to do anymore. She seemed distressed, like...she needed help? There was a bright glow in her eyes, something I hadn't seen in my life before...perhaps this was the hope I had heard Akihiko talking about before? Who knows, I'll never be able to find out. I'm going to hold a funeral for my friend, it's the least he deserves for being kind to me."_

" _Nothing is as it seems. Your sister is a vile excuse of a woman, who turned the world on its head. She did this to you, to all of us. She messed with your mind, on a level that you'll never be able to understand. I can't tell you the truth to everything, not if it means risking my underclassmen and my roommate. All of the answers are in the academy, and most of all, it rests up to the Kirigiri siblings to discover the truth behind Hope's Peak Academy. My last message to you is this, you are not Ryouko Otonashi, that woman never existed. You are Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, member of Fenrir and the future Hope for those inside. Don't let her cloud your Hope and taint it with Despair, it's exactly what she wants."_

That was where it ended, after that it started listing the time stamps for when Ryouko had entered the academy. So it did confirm his suspicions about her being from the outside, but that last part...it wasn't her hand writing. Ryouko had a sloppy penmanship, he could tell that the one who had written the last note was someone else. It matched Hiyoko's handwriting, and Ryouko's description did fit the blonde he had seen in his flashbacks, and in the yearbook in the secret room. But what stunned him the most was what the note said.

" _ **My last message to you is this, you are not Ryouko Otonashi, that woman never existed. You are Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, member of Fenrir and the future Hope for those inside. Don't let her cloud your Hope and taint it with Despair, it's exactly what she wants."**_

That had stuck out to him, quite a lot in fact. If Hiyoko did in fact write this, than it was a message not only to Ryouko, but to them as well. Mukuro Ikusaba, she wasn't the mastermind at all...he was staring at her. The Ultimate Soldier...it also made sense why he had seen Ryouko with the survival knife in the first place, it was her knife of course, and she was trying to hide it. But if she was acting as Ryouko Otonashi and not Mukuro Ikusaba, could that mean that she doesn't remember who she is? And that her amnesia is a cause of the mastermind? Or could it be an act.

" _It can't be an act...everything she said sounded genuine, as if she was genuinely speaking from her mind. That means that it isn't an act...could she be suffering from the same thing me and Kyoko are suffering? What does that say about everything else? Did we meet on the first day of our Mutual Killing life? Or did we all meet before this all happened? Before the Academy was turned into a shelter by the mastermind?"_

It was nothing more than a jumbled mess now, adding to the other stuff that he had to figure out. With the added time limit, he wouldn't be able to figure it out in time, not without him accidentally killing someone. He grit his teeth, punching the bed frame.

" _I'm so useless. I can't do anything right goddamn it! I made a promise...I made them all a promise and I can't keep it. I'm going to die without being able to do anything to save my friend, without being able to tell Sayaka the truth. Makoto will be the sacrificial lamb to a class trial that's rigged. There's nothing I can do!"_

"Yuno, we made it back. How is she?" Sayaka asked, as she and everyone else poured into the room. He snapped the notebook closed, placing it back in his pocket.

"Other than a few pained groans, nothing. I tried talking to her but she hasn't said anything." he said. Mikan quickly took his place, already checking the girl over. She opened one of her eyes, shocked to see the new color.

"Weren't her eyes red?" she asked.

"About that, I found a pair of contact lenses on her bathroom counter. She was slumped over, and she had a high fever. And she was really sweaty."

"Hmm, her fever went down a bit thanks to the rag, but she's still a bit sweaty. She's panting a bit too, and her heart rate is really high...looks like I'm going to have to give her some medicine. Some ibuprofen for the fever should do the trick." she muttered to herself, walking over to the counter, opening the cabinet for the necessary equipment. She grabbed a bag of IV fluid along with all of the tubes. He decided to look away from her, turning to Sayaka.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I know you really wanted to have that concert." he said.  
"It's alright. Taking care of our friends is more important to me than a silly concert. We all have to do what we can...why are your eyes red?" she asked. He cringed, not expecting her to ask him that question.

"I um...put the contacts on...thought it would be cool." he said. He looked over to Taeko and Leon, both of them giving them worried looks. He shook it off.

"I need to go, I have things to do. Let me know how she's doing alright?" he asked, brushing past everyone and out the door.

"Yuno, wait! There's something wrong, I can just feel it. Please...tell me what it is." Sayaka said, taking his hand.

"There's nothing wrong. I found a lot of information about what's going on, and I need to piece it all together, it's fundamental for us to figure out the truth. When I am done, I'll gather everyone up and tell you, alright?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

"No, tell me right now!" she snapped.

"I can't! I'll tell you when it's done!" he cried back, retching her hand off his own. Her eyes widened a bit, and she took a step back. He looked away, holding back the tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry my love. I can't tell you just yet, trust me alright?" he said. He ran off, heading back toward the Plaza. Sayaka's lip quivered, and tears started falling from her face.

"No no no, don't start crying." Taeko said, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"He lied to me, right to my face. Why would he lie to me?" she asked.

"There's something wrong with him and I don't know what it is. He's been acting strange all day, ever since we discovered the room on the fifth floor, and he showed us that file. His eyes turning red can only mean one thing." Leon said.

"Don't you dare say it. It isn't happening." Makoto said loudly, forcing them all to look at him

"Yuno has been helping us since day one. He would never stoop to their level, he would never fall to despair." he said.

"Come on, it's fucking obvious. When I saw him earlier, his eyes had thick specks of red in them, now their bright crimson, almost over taking the lavender that once made up his irises. He's falling into despair, quite fast it seems." Taeko said.

"You saw him earlier and didn't let anyone know?" Sayaka asked.

"I couldn't tell anyone. I wasn't sure of what I was seeing, I thought it was just something minor, but seeing it now, I didn't think it would be this fast."

"Despair infects a healthy individual and it takes over like a plague." Monokuma said, appearing next to everyone.

"What do you want?" Leon snapped angrily.

"Yeah, we don't need to see you of all people, especially right now." Hina said firmly.

"Don't shoot the messenger. After all I am a very kind and giving bear, I am just telling you, Despair Fever is running around, so do your best not to catch it. If I we're you, I would isolate Yuno as soon as you can. Having him running around when he isn't in his right mind well, that's an invitation for murder." he said.

"Shut the fuck up! Yuno would never fall to murdering someone, Christ, if I could kick you right now I would punt you over the fucking moon." Sayaka cried out, her face glowing red with anger.

"Well, you can very well do it, if you want to face punishment that is. Hmm, in fact take your best shot..the best kind of despair is the one you get from seeing a loved one get taken away in front of your eyes." he said.

"Just get out of here already bear, your presence bores me." Byakuya said, appearing next to everyone.

"Oh, so is the rich boy done reading books?" the bear asked.

"I was informed by Kyoko that everyone had come down to the Nurses office, she will not be joining us, of course. I thought it would check it out nonetheless." he said.

"It's just Ryouko...she's fine though." Makoto said.

"Hmm...it seems this girl has become more trouble than it's worth." he muttered under his breath.

"Whatever, just feel free to do as you wish. I'm not stopping you, as I said before, murder is inevitable, you will all pay your dues in time. No one escapes the class trial."

With that, the monochrome bear left, leaving everyone angrier than ever before. Sayaka watch him leave, turning back to look at where her distraught boyfriend had run off. Something was very wrong, and she was scared, not for her sake, but for Yuno's, especially knowing what was happening in his dreamscape. She could only hope nothing bad happened. But relying on hope alone wouldn't be a solution, not when seven people had already paid the price.


	27. Chapter 5 Act 3: Fighting for Hope

**A/N: Well, here we are once more, greeting the beginning of new very long chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. This is it fellas, the chapter that turns this story into an M rated story, so if you were all waiting for the naughty scene, here you go, Nine and a half pages of glorious fornication. This chapter has a little of everything, happiness, sadness, despair, murder, despair, sex, despair did I mention despair? There is a lot of Despair. I also added a little bit of narrative for Hiyoko's side story, if you all wanted to see the raid on the foundation, I apologize, I honestly didn't feel like writing a chapter where they broke into the building, but there is some confrontations with them, as well as the awakening of Daisuke Fuji.**

 **So, we are over the hump. This story only has a few chapters left, Chapter Six will be the final chapter, and will have three acts, chapter five has one act left. Even though this isn't the end yet, I would like to thank you all for being so loyal and sticking with this story. I might take a bit longer to write the next few chapters, as I will be playing through Chapter Four so I can get through Chapter Five and Six of Trigger Happy Havoc. I will continue writing The End of Hope's Peak Academy, as I already have a timeline written out for that one, but after this, I will take a little break to work on the next timeline, revolving around the Remnants of Hope tracking down their classmates as well as the Ultra Despair Girls story, featuring Yuuki Maizono as the main character and the Ultimate Cybernetic Technician Akira Tetsujima as the side character. Both of them will be working their way through Towa city, trying to find and rescue the other captives from Junko's killing game, while avoiding the detection of the Warriors of Hope. After that mini story is done, I will begin the Prelude for the sequel to this story. The Super School Trip of Mutual Killing: Welcome to Dangan Island. Until then, stay tuned for the final chapters of this story.**

 **Update: 7/1/17: Chapter 5 Act 3 has been edited and re uploaded. This act has been split in half to create the new Act 4, which contains the investigation for this chapter. This is also the sexy chapter, so I hope you like reading that again...I wanted to expand it a bit, but I felt it was fine...at least compared to the other stuff I wrote in Zetsubou-Hen...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 5

Act 3

Fighting For Hope

 _ **(Daily Life)**_

Yuno didn't know what to do. He had let his emotions do the talking again, and had ran off leaving his friends most likely wondering what was happening. What was he supposed to do? A single word and Sayaka was dead on the spot, he couldn't risk it. Now seeing that his eyes had fully turned red, it made him scared and it filled his heart with worry. Was this what Bryce had experience? An impending change that you couldn't help but be forced to accept? Was that what lead him to do the things he did? He didn't know, nor did he want to know, all he wanted to do was get everything over with. Walking back into the bath house, he headed straight to Alter Ego's locker. Throwing caution to the wind, he opened it, giving the program a smile.

" _Hello Yuno, I wasn't expecting you this early!"_

" **Sorry, somethings have come up. Did you hear my conversation with Monokuma earlier?"** he typed.

" _Yes, I am aware of the circumstances. I am happy Master was able to fix my microphone enough to allow me to hear from great distances. Everything was recorded and stored in my data banks. I have also finished copying myself and transferring everything to the smart phone, it was actually easier and quicker than I thought."_ she said.

" **Excellent, that's exactly what I have come to talk to you about. I wanted to see the progress, but I am happy to see that everything went smoothly on your end, even after two hours."**

" _Thank you Yuno. Master did build me with efficiency in mind. But, now that you are here, I have a favor to ask of you."_

" **Name it, it's the least I can do after all."**

" _I have done everything I could on this laptop. All of the files have been analyzed so there is nothing for me to do. I have come up with a bold idea, I need you to take me to a place with an Ethernet port. I have to connect to the school network to finish my research."_

" **The School Network? Are you sure, it's a big risk."**

" _I understand the risk, but it could potentially allow me to infiltrate the mastermind's infrastructure. If I get access to the school network, I may even be able to find some way to get you all out of here."_

The thought of that made Yuno smile. Alter Ego was willing to risk itself like that just so it could give them all a chance to escape? It didn't matter if it was a computer program, the fact that it was risking itself to do that meant a lot to Yuno.

" _Are you...alright? I see tears coming from your eyes."_ she said.

" **It's alright, I'm just happy that you want to do this for us. But...are you doing this because of what you heard?"** he typed. The brown haired girl gave him a nod.

" _Of course. Master told me that he wanted everyone to be saved from this place, and that includes you Yuno. Over the last few days, I've been so happy to have been blessed with such a kind friend like you, just like master told me. You helped him out when he needed it, and now it's my turn to repay that debt. Please, take me to a place with a T2 line, and I'll take care of the rest."_

Yuno sighed, giving the program a nod.

" **Alright, I know of one place that has a T2 line, but getting there is..well it'll be risky. I've sort of been acting strange to everyone around me. I won't be able to safely transport you there."**

" _Hmm...I know, what about Makoto? No one would suspect him."_

Yuno grit his teeth. Thinking back on what Hisashi and Monokuma had agreed on, it really pained him to think about the Ultimate Lucky Student. But Alter Ego was right, with how Yuno was acting, the Mastermind wouldn't even think about tracking him down. He gave her a nod.

" **I'll tell Makoto right away. In the mean time you wait here."**

" _Understood. Over and out!"_

Yuno unplugged the phone, shoving it in his pocket along with the charger. He closed the locker door, locking it firmly. He spared a glance back at the clock, seeing that it was just past three thirty in the afternoon. Less time for him to work with. He shook his head, heading toward the exit.

"Best not think about that now of all times. I'm not gonna let anything happen." he muttered to himself.

He was greeted with silence, as the plaza was empty. He took a look around, hearing voices coming from the hallway. He sighed to himself and decided to walk in that direction. Thankfully, it was only Kyoko and Makoto, who were talking quietly among themselves. He ran up to them, a smile on his face.

"There you are, Makoto told me what happened, are you alright?" Kyoko asked, looking him over. He gave her a nod.

"Nothing to worry about at all sis...I mean, Kyoko. Makoto, I have a question for you, did you check out the thing I told you about earlier?" he asked, looking at the spiky brown haired teen.

"Yeah I did, but before I could see anything, I blacked out. When I woke up everything around me was gone, even that strange note that was on the table. I went outside and that's when Sayaka told me what had happened with Ryouko." he said.

"Damn it. So I was right about them knowing about the room." he muttered dryly.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" the purple haired girl asked, brow raised in curiosity.

"Uh...sorry Kyoko. I meant to tell you, but...with everything that's been happening...you know." he said, feeling rather ashamed.

"It's fine. I was going to tell him regardless anyway, I suppose you've caught him up with our potential captor correct?"

"I have, but I also found something that will throw your investigation off, it's something that threw me off as well. I haven't taken the time to put it all together, but I trust that you'll be able too." he said, handing her Ryouko's notebook, along with his own. She looked them over, looking back at him.

"Why are you giving me these?" she asked.

"Because I'm close to figuring out what is going on here, but I am missing several key details, things that I can't get access too at the moment, which is what brings me to my next topic, Makoto it seems its time for you to take a bath." he said.

"Huh? Do I smell that bad?" the teen asked, sniffing his shirt. Yuno rolled his eyes. He drew a key from his pocket, placing it in his hand before taking them in his own.

"Yes, you smell awful. Go take a bath!" he said, giving him a wink. The teen, finally understanding what he meant, decided to take off, uttering a quiet goodbye to the two.

"He's got a long way to go, but he'd make an excellent partner." Kyoko said.

"Doubt it, he's just Lucky, not a detective like the two of us." he muttered. She looked at him, narrowing her eyes. She looked into his own, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I'm worried about you Hisashi, your eyes...their almost all red."

"Don't call me that...I want to be Yuno alright? I'm not...I haven't wrapped my head around that name yet." he said.

"As you wish. Surely after we figure everything out, we can determine what to do about our dilemma. They tampered with our bodies, of that I am certain." she said.

"Something to our bodies huh? Could advanced memory degeneration be one of those things?" he asked.

"Perhaps, coming from a school filled with Ultimate students, it isn't out of the realm of possibility. It will still be a long time before that happens though...what was it that...you know who wanted to say to him?" she asked.

Yuno looked back, noticing the camera was pointing the other way. He pulled her toward the other hall, placing them within the camera's blind spot.

"Alter Ego wants to connect to the school network. She thinks she can find a way to get us out of here."

"Are you sure it's a wise idea? What if they catch onto us?" she asked.

"It's our only option right now, she seems rather adamant on connecting to the network." he replied.

"With the distraction you've been causing, and Ryouko being sick, it gives Makoto the perfect chance to slip in and out without raising suspicion. It's a good idea, but it will cost us dearly if we we're to lose Alter Ego." she said.

"No necessarily." he said with a grin.

He pulled her into a sudden hug, taking her aback from the sudden action. Her eyes widened a bit when she felt him shove something into her underwear. He frowned, thinking about everything that would happen later on, especially now. He hadn't ever planned on this happening, and just when he had found his older sister, he would be losing her to the cruel reality of their situation.

"Forgive me." he whispered, pulling away from her. The blush on her cheeks lessened, being replaced with a look of concern.

"Yuno...something is going on...please tell me what it is."

"That isn't possible. In the event of my demise, when my heart can beat no more, I struggle to understand the things that I am going through. The answers will be cleared out, and in fifteen and a half hours, everything will be clear to you." he said, turning on his heel.

"What...what the hell is that supposed to mean? Yuno?" she called out, only for him to disappear into the plaza.

She hastily walked into the girl's bathroom, shoving her hand in her underwear only to pull out the pink smart phone, wrapped around with its charger. Her eyes widened and she wiped it off with her shirt, swiping the screen with her gloved finger. Of course it didn't work, she had grown used to flip phones for that very reason. She took one of her gloves off, now being able to swipe the screen.

The home screen was of a girl she vaguely recognized, the girl that had been a survivor of the Student Council killings. She looked at the apps on the screen, seeing a familiar on on the bottom of the screen. She tapped it, and the screen flashed off, turning a bright green. Seconds later, Alter Ego appeared on it, a smile on her face.

" _Hello Kyoko. So good to see you!"_

Kyoko looked at the phone stunned. Had Yuno told Alter Ego to make a copy of itself? It had been an ingenious thought, having a backup of the AI Chihiro had created would be a great benefit. Even if they lost the laptop, all hope wouldn't be lost, not if she had this phone on her person.

"Hello, Alter Ego." she said softly.

" _Yay! I can finally hear your voice, the laptop's broken microphone made conversation rather difficult, but now we can talk normally. However, I would prefer to talk to you in secret, lest someone hear."_

"I agree, was this your idea or my brother's?" she asked.

" _It was Yuno who approached me with this idea. As long as the laptop is fine, I can share information between both devices through the bluetooth connection. Makoto is transporting me now, and I will let you know when I have made it into the system."_ she replied.

"Understood, for now keep quiet. We'll check in with you later on tonight."

" _Alright, I shall await your visit!"_

The purple haired girl put the phone on sleep move, placing it in her breast pocket. She looked at herself in the mirror, a smile working its way across her lips.

"Perhaps Yuno is a better detective than I am. Then again, he is bolder than me...perhaps I should work on working with others, instead of going on my own all the time." she said to herself.

Perhaps things we're looking bleak, but even now she had a sliver of hope and she would hang onto it, for as long as she could.

Yuno had gone back to his dorm, and just lay down on the bed. He had done all he could for now. He had given the phone, and the notebooks to Kyoko and trusted she would put it all together, enough to find the truth at least. Makoto would take Alter Ego to a place where she could get hooked up, and everything would be fine. Everything would be fine.

"Except it won't...nothing will be fine, not after tonight at least." he muttered dryly.

He turned onto his side, looking at the far wall. Sayaka's perfume was still on the pillow next to his, that god awful Blueberry scent that he had grown to love over the last few weeks. Thinking back on it, he didn't know exactly when he had fallen in love with Sayaka. He guess that it was from before they were trapped, but recently, he had fallen deeper in love with her. His mother always told him that one day he would find the one who he would spend the rest of his life with, and he was pretty sure he had found her.

The more time he spent with her, the greater his love for her became, and the more it grew, which was why he couldn't risk anyone finding out anything, he had given Alter Ego that strict command, that only in death was she allowed to reveal that information, so that they didn't think he had betrayed them. She would be sad, she would be distraught and filled with Despair, but he was sure Kyoko would lead them out of the academy, he was sure she would lead them to daylight.

He heard the door open, and looked toward it, seeing his girlfriend making her way into the room. She was still dressed in her idol get up, the poor girl had gone through all the lengths of setting that concert up, only for everything to come crashing down, and she had been so excited about it too. He got up and she looked at him, a frown on her face.

"Hi Yuno."

"Sayaka, I want to apologize to you. I know I lied, and I can't tell you the reason why, but I want you to trust me alright. Everything will be fine." he said.

"I trust you sweetheart. If you are doing this it's because you have no other way out, because they have you by the balls. I'm sorry it's come to this, but as long as you don't kill anyone. It's fine." she said, taking the ribbon out of her hair.

He looked at the wall, a frown on his face. He decided not to think about it. He stood up, walking toward the door, turning the lock. Sayaka furrowed her brows, looking at him curiously.

"Aren't we going back out after this? It's almost time to start dinner." she said.

"How about we...let someone else handle that?" he asked.

"Um...alright. Is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing is wrong, it's just...you look absolutely stunning in that outfit. But...I think you would look better without it." he said, whispering the last part into her ear.

Her breath hitched a bit, and before she could say anything, he silenced her with his lips. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body, pressing himself against her.

"Yuno, what are you doing?" she asked, pulling away from him.

"Well...you we're the one that wanted this a few days back. You telling me the offer isn't still available?" he joked, a smirk on his face.

She looked into his eyes, no longer seeing the beautiful lavender she had come to love. She didn't want to deny him this, it was clear that he was suffering on the inside. Some stress relief would do them both good. She nodded, a blush tinging her cheeks.

"I...am a little nervous though. I sort of promised I wouldn't before I was married but...given the circumstances."

"Then how about this, when we all get out of here...let's get married." he said.

"Are...are you serious Yuno?" she asked, backing away from him.

"Of course I am. Too prove it, I even got you this." he said, pulling out a plastic ring from his pocket. She looked at it, letting out a snort.

"That isn't an engagement ring, that's something you give to your crush when you are seven." she said.

"Perhaps, but it's all I could find on such little time." he said. She took it from his hand, slipping it onto her ring finger.

"It may not be real, but it means the world to me. I love you Yuno."

"I love you too Sayaka." he replied, once again capturing her lips in a kiss.

She giggled a bit, kissing him back with all the love she could muster. Her hands flew to his vest, and she pulled the zipper down, quickly taking the garment off his body. He pulled away from her, taking off his tee shirt and tossing it aside. The girl ran her hand over his lean chest, making him shudder a bit.

"Your heart is racing...are you nervous?" she asked quietly.

"A little bit." he answered, the blush on his cheeks getting a little darker.

"It's alright...I'm nervous too...but I know you'll be gentle...unless I tell you otherwise." she said with a wink. She hooked her fingers under her top, and pulled it up over her shoulders, tossing it aside.

"I know I've seen them before, but damn." he said, ogling her fleshy orbs. She took his hand, bringing it up to one of her breasts.

He gave it a soft squeeze, a small moan passing through her lips. He lowered his face down a bit, taking one of her nipples into his mouth, giving it a light nibble. She gasped, throwing her head back, she could already feel herself start to get wet. She grit her teeth, panting a bit as Yuno played with her nipple, and massaged her other breast. She yelped in shock, finding his hand had already worked it's way up her skirt. She started slapping it, making him let go of her nipple.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet mister." she said, reaching for his belt.

"Oh right, I can't get ahead of myself but you definitely can...how is that fair?" he asked.

"Quiet you!" she said, unbuckling his belt.

With a single fluid motion she brought his pants and his boxers down, his seven inch cock springing up into the air. He blushed, looking away from her.

"My, you are really happy aren't you?" she asked, running her hand across his length.

"Maybe just a tad." he said, stepping out of his pants.

She stood up briefly, pulling the zipper on the side of her skirt, she took it off, along with her frilly pink underwear. She slipped out of her boots, placing them near the pile of clothes that now littered the floor. She looked at his feet, seeing his socks we're still on.

"Are...you taking those off?" she asked curiously.

"No, it's not gay until the the socks come off." he said simply.

"What?"

"It's something I heard somewhere." he said, hastily taking his socks off.

Now she really wanted to know what he meant, but that would be for another time. He pulled her into another heated kiss, running his fingers through her hair, pulling it out of it's ties. Her hand closed around his shaft and she started pumping him a bit, using the pre-cum to slick the head up a bit. She pulled away from him, and knelt down, licking her lips.

"I've been imagining this for a long time you know." she said, giving him a sultry wink.

"Have you now? How many times have you fingered yourself thinking about my hard dick?" he asked.

"More times than I can count. It's not the same, and I can't wait until I have this inside me, but before we begin that, I have to get your ready." she said, giving the head a quick kiss.

She licked her lips, tasting the salty pre-cum that had leaked from it. She gave the head a lick, making him shudder. She pumped him a bit, causing him to groan.

"Stop teasing me!" he snapped.

"Fine, I just wanted to see you squirm for a bit." she said, before he could reply, she took his length into her mouth.

He gasped loudly, gritting his teeth. Her warm mouth felt amazing around his dick. He gathered her hair into his hand, just as she started bobbing her head.

"Christ, this feels amazing Sayaka. Are you sure this is your first time?" he asked. She released him with a soft pump, grabbing one of his testicles in her hand.

"Are you doubting me? This is my first time, I just watch a lot of porn." she admitted.

He groaned at the foreign feeling, as the idol continued lubing his shaft with her spit. She took him into her mouth again, spreading a little more saliva onto his shaft before letting him go. He pulled her up, taking her lips again. He bit her bottom lip, making her groan in pleasure.

Their tongues wrestled each other in a battle for dominance, neither side backing down from the fight. Yuno traced his hand down her sides, finally reaching her sweet spot. He slipped a couple fingers inside, causing her to groan and loose her footing, pulling him down onto the bed with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes.

"Well, you are definitely frisky tonight, can't even keep your hands to yourself long enough for me to finish up. I suppose you'll have to rectify that." she said, spreading her legs for him.

He smirked, lowering his face down until he was looking at her dripping sex. It was slightly pink, and the lips were a little swollen with arousal. Her hair had been trimmed down, forming a small strip of sorts.

"Don't just look at it, it's embarrassing!" she cried, making him chuckle. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, her cheeks were crimson and she had been sweating a bit, her hair had been pulled behind her ear, and she had taken her barrettes off, letting her hair freely fall around her face.

She looked amazing, the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on. He gave her sex a kiss before inserting his tongue. She let out a guttural moan, grabbing a handful of his hair. He spread her lips a bit and started licking her insides, sucking up all of her juices.

"Just like that...it feels...great Yuno." Sayaka said, between breaths.

He flicked the small nub of flesh with his tongue, making her moan louder than before. He was for once glad the rooms we're sound proof. He pulled away, slipping a couple fingers inside, pumping them as fast as he could. He pulled her into a kiss, making her wide eyed for a second before accepting it. He pulled away, a smirk on his face.

"So, how do you taste? Sweet right?" he asked.

"Um...a little bit yeah." she replied. He quickened his thrusting, making her moans get louder. She grit her teeth, feeling a pressure building up in her stomach.

"Yuno, I'm about too..."

Yuno increased his speed, making her writhe in pleasure. Her hands had gripped the sheets around her in a white knuckled grip, and surely if they had been alive, they would have been killed by the sheer strength of her grip. She finally let out a howl of ecstasy, her orgasm bursting from her like a broken dam.

She lay on the bed, panting hard as the waves of pleasure danced across her every muscle. Yuno licked his fingers up, drying up all of the juices that had drenched his hand.

"That was amazing." she said, a dopey smile on her face.

"Well, hold onto your butt because the main event is about to begin." he said with a smile.

He rubbed his dick against her dripping lips, using her juices to lube himself up. He took a hold of her hand, as he slowly slipped himself inside her. They both gasped at the foreign feeling. Sayaka cringed a bit, not expecting Yuno to be so big.

"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.

"No...just give me a bit of time." she said softly.

He pushed himself in until he was fully hilted. It was odd that he didn't feel her hymen tearing, but since she was an idol, he guessed she must have accidentally torn it. He looked into her eyes and she gave him a nod. He slowly pulled out, a small moan escaping her lips. He pushed himself back in, setting a bit of a rhythm.

"Oh god...this feels so good." Sayaka cried out.

Her entire world was rocking, this new feeling making her mind go blank. Yuno grabbed her waist tightly and increased his speed, making her moan even louder. Her long legs wrapped around his waist, snatching him into a hold he wouldn't be escaping from.

"You're so tight Sayaka, it's so hard for me to hold myself back." he said, biting his lip.

"Then don't. Give me everything you got." she said.

He increased his pace, the sounds of skin slapping skin filling the room. He felt pressure starting to built at the base of his dick, and quickly pulled out, waiting for a few seconds until the feeling left him. He gestured for her to turn around. She held her rump in the air, her pink lips dripping. She wiggled her hips, a sultry look on her face.

"Come and get it big boy~"

He plunged himself back in, her dulcet voice was music to his ears, as he quickened his pace. He grabbed a hold of her arms pulling her to a standing position while still being inside her. Her breasts bounced with every thrust, drool had started dribbling her her mouth, landing on her chest. He bit into her neck, just as she reached her second orgasm, her body spasmed, and she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Oh...just like that..." she mewled.

He wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, grasping her breasts in his hands. He tweaked her nipples, giving her neck little nibbles. He had already left a nice big mark on the left side of her neck. One of his hands trailed down to her pussy, and he started rubbing her clit, gritting his teeth as he felt the same feeling start building up again.

"I'm gonna pull out again, your pussy is too damn good." he said.

She groaned angrily as he pulled out of her, slapping her butt cheeks with his dick. He took a deep breath, calming himself down a bit before sitting on the bed. Sayaka sat on his lap, taking a firm hold of his dick before sliding herself down it, both moaning loudly.

He grabbed her ass tightly in his hands, just as she started bouncing on his dick. He captured her lips in a kiss, sucking them and tugging them with all his might, being careful not to hurt her of course. Pulling away, she decided it was her turn to mark him, as she started licking and biting his neck.

"Sayaka, I love you so much. I want you to know that alright?" he cried, breathing rather hard.

"I...already know that. I love you too." she replied.

He trusted harder, the feeling in the pit of his stomach had returned, and this time he didn't think he would be able to hold himself back. His breathing hitched even more and he closed his eyes tightly.

"Are you...about to...cum?" she asked.

"Yeah, I don't think I can hold back." he replied.

"I am too. Let's just...let it happen."

"Sayaka, we're not protected." he said.

"It doesn't matter...if I get pregnant, then I'll be happy, knowing it'll be yours." she said.

Yuno kept thrusting into her, her beautiful voice filling his ears. He feeling only grew in size, until he couldn't take it anymore. With a final thrust, he came inside her, coating her walls with his cum. A second later, Sayaka let out a blood curdling scream, her back arching as she felt her pussy finally releasing her orgasm, bathing the two in the sticky clear liquid. The two of them fell back, landing on the bed with a thud. They panted hard, the tiredness wearing them down. Yuno captured her lips in a kiss, tears falling from his eyes. He could tell Sayaka was crying too.

"I love you, I love you with all my heart. Nothing will ever make me change that. When we get out of here, I want you to be my wife, no questions asked." he said.

"I'll hold you to that. And if I do get pregnant, then we'll raise our child with love and care, and if not...then let's definitely do this again." she said with a wink.

Yuno honestly wouldn't mind doing this more often, and for that instant, he had forgotten what had happened earlier, he forgot that they were trapped within the school, he forgot everything around him, all that mattered to him was his girlfriend...no...all that mattered to him was his fiancee, Sayaka Maizono the Ultimate Pop Sensation. He noticed the girl had fallen asleep, with him still being inside. He looked at the clock, nodding to himself, he might as well take a short nap, it wouldn't hurt him. Then again, the next time he woke up, he probably wouldn't be himself anymore.

 _ **xxx**_

She didn't know what time it was when she woke up, but she realized she was starving. Looking at the clock on her bedside table, seeing that it was a little past Six in the morning. Her eyes widened and she threw her covers off, ignoring the sticky feeling in her nether regions. She looked around the room, yawning loudly as she walked toward the bathroom, only to realize that the water wouldn't be on for another forty five minutes. She sighed, grabbing some tissues and a bottle of water she had left by the sink.

"Yuno, it's time to wake up." she called out, looking into the room.

She noticed he was gone, none of his clothes had been where she had last seen them, and her idol outfit had been folded and placed on top of the dresser.

"He must have left earlier to get something to eat." she muttered to herself.

She continued freshening up, before walking back into the room, grabbing her change of clothes for the day. She decided on a black tank top, along with a pair of white shorts. She grabbed her discarded underwear, which had been placed atop her idol outfit and slipped them on. Once she was dressed, she put on her white boots and grabbed her room key, keen on getting something to eat from the storage room. It wasn't odd for her to be out this early, there we're times that she snuck out to grab some cookies while Yuno was asleep. She had eaten them in bed once and gotten crumbs all over the sheets, that hadn't been a fun experience.

Moving toward the storage room. Walking into the plaza, she looked around, a feeling of dread going through her body. She shivered a bit, shaking it off as she moved toward the storage room. Her hand slipped around the handle of the door, and she slowly opened it, sighing to herself when she noticed the room was empty. She made her way to the back, grabbing some snacks to keep her hunger at bay until breakfast was served.

She really missed Nick, his strawberry vanilla waffles had been her favorite, and she had been missing them a lot since he had passed on. She was deeply saddened by his death, a person like him didn't need to die, but she felt worse for Hina, who not only lost him, but also lost Sakura to the evil Bryce. She had caught her crying in the bathroom at one point, unable to even speak through her sobbing. Once her arms were full of various junk foods, she walked out of the storage room, heading toward the table they had set up in the plaza.

She had noticed Leon and Taeko had already taken their seats, chatting quietly among themselves. The baseball star looked up, a smirk on his face.

"So, the Ultimate Pop Sensation finally awakens." he said, wiggling his brows.

"You didn't show up to dinner dear, how was it?" Taeko asked, a smirk tugging her lips.

"How was what?" Sayaka asked, a light blush appearing on her cheeks.

"The sex dear, and don't be so coy about it. When you and Yuno didn't show up for dinner, we connected the dots. That and the bite marks make it obvious." the gambler added, taking a sip of her water.

She dealt Leon a hand, setting the remaining cards on the table top. Sayaka blushed her hand covering the bite marks Yuno had left her.

"Was it that obvious?" she asked, taking a seat across from Leon.

"Oh yeah, it was obvious. Don't worry, me and Taeko sealed the deal last night too." the baseball star said, giving her a wink. Taeko slapped the back of his head, her lips furled with anger, though her blush betrayed her.

"I-idiot! Don't go announcing it to the world." she said.

"Deal me in, I want to try my luck." Sayaka said.

Leon nodded, shuffling the cards before handing her five cards, setting the rest down. She looked the cards over, frowning a bit. It would take some work to build a good hand, especially with Taeko in the game.

"I doubt you'll win...then again you have been hanging around Makoto quite a lot, maybe his luck rubbed off on you. He was close to beating me you know." she said with a wink, looking at her cards.

"Hey, speaking of Makoto, I didn't see him at dinner either and Mikan was in the Nurses office with Ryouko, so he wasn't sealing the deal with her. Where did he go?" Leon asked.

"No clue. Something tells me he's helping Kyoko out with her investigation of this place." Sayaka replied.

"About that...I'm sure you've all noticed how Yuno is acting lately. I don't want to raise an alarm, but he's becoming a bit unstable. His eyes were crimson last time I saw him, no traces of lavender at all." the gambler said. She discarded a card, drawing another into her hand. Leon did the same, drawing two from the stack.

"I know...I don't know what to do with him. I'm so worried, but he can't tell me what is happening at all, at least that's the vibe I got from him last night." the idol replied, discarding one of her cards.

"Do you think...Monokuma gave him a motive? Something that he couldn't refuse?" Leon asked.

"No...he would never do something like that." Sayaka snapped, glaring at the baseball star.

"That isn't out of the realm of possibility, not anymore. We're nearing the endgame, seven of us are dead and with our refusal to murder, the mastermind is bound to get desperate. They have things against all of us, those secrets should have been enough to warrant that. If they we're able to get to Yuno, to break him down like they did to Bryce, then it won't be long until the same thing happens to one of us." Taeko said.

"But...he can't...he wouldn't do that." Sayaka said.

"Not intentionally, but if someone's life was on the line then maybe he would do it. He's not really right in the head, not since Chihiro's trial. Bryce did something to him without us knowing." Leon replied.

 _Ding Ding Ding_

" _ **Ahem, it is now 7AM and nighttime is officially over. Rise and shine, it's time to greet a beautiful new day!"**_

The three glanced away from the screen in the plaza, looking back at the cards in their hands. It wasn't long before the others started walking into the academy. Mikan yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat down at her usual seat. Byakuya glanced around, noticing four people hadn't shown up.

"Alright then, four of us are missing today. Ryouko should still be in the Nurse's office, but what of Kyoko, Makoto and Yuno?" he asked.

"Maybe their sleeping in? Besides you took Kyoko's room key, where the hell would she sleep?" Hina snapped, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Yuno was gone by the time I woke up. So I don't know where he is." Sayaka admitted.

"Why didn't you tell us? We would have searched for him." Leon said, standing up from his seat, knocking the chair to the ground.

"Yes dear, you should have told us this." Taeko replied.

"Heh, so it seems the game is afoot once again, even after Yuno's bold statement. So, Kyoko, Makoto or Ryouko could be the victim this time around. Intriguing." the Affluent Progeny said.

"What makes you so sure Yuno is responsible for any death? He wouldn't do that, he's been fighting since day one, more than you've been doing you selfish prick." Hina said.

"Oh? Then explain his behavior yesterday? Was he not acting differently? He wasn't keen on keeping his emotions in check. You saw his eyes, can you deny that he isn't suffering from Despair Fever?"

"That...that's bullshit!" Sayaka cried, placing her cards on the table and standing up.

"Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean you can cover up his crimes. Who knows? Perhaps he even slept with you so that you could remain in your dorm, so he could act out his plan alone." he said, looking at the marks on her neck.

The angered pop idol pulled her fist back, socking the blond haired teen across the face. Her left hook she gave him was enough to not only knock his glasses off his face, but also send him sprawling onto the ground. Fresh tears ran down her cheeks, her face contorted into a look of sheer fury.

"Don't you ever say that to me again, or I swear to god I'll kill you myself." She cried.

"Whoa girl, take a step back, no need beat the hell out of this asshole." Leon said.

"What the hell is going on?" Kyoko snapped, walking into the plaza. Byakuya wiped his lip, picking his glasses off the floor.

"Good of you to join us Kyoko. What we're you doing last night? Wondering around alone? Or aiding our killer?" He asked. The girl didn't say a word, instead she placed a single file on top of the table.

"This is the detailed file of Mukuro Ikusaba, this file was locked away in the Headmaster's office. Seeing as our captor has neglected to give us a motive this week, I decided to help myself in." She said.

"How the hell did you do that, seeing as the door is locked? You didn't break any rules did you?" Leon asked.

"Actually, it was Sakura that helped me. Before she passed away, she was able to break the lock on the door, allowing me entree. She admitted to me another thing, she was the mastermind's mole." Kyoko said.

"What? No...that can't be." Hina said.

"It is. She left me this for you Hina, she was going to come clean to everyone, but it seems Bryce kept taunting her, and filling her with despair, in order to redeem herself, she hit the mastermind where it hurt. I had to break one of the cameras to get in, but I was able to take a peek inside." she said.

"So, how long we're you going to keep this from us Kyoko? You've violated the rules...isn't that grounds for punishment?"

"Please, if Monokuma we're to do something about it, he would have done so already. He wouldn't be laying on the floor of the gym." she said.

"Wait...Monokuma isn't active right now?" Taeko asked.

"He hasn't been active all night. I made a note to check on him every hour while on my search but he didn't move at all. If we want to strike, we must do it now." she said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's check it out right now...we'll start with the Headmaster's office on the fourth floor." Byakuya said.

"Don't act like what just happened was nothing. We need to find Yuno and Makoto before we do anything." Sayaka said firmly.

"They're missing? Why didn't you say that before." Kyoko asked firmly.

"Fine, we'll go search for the archer. Let's start by looking within the Nurses office, even though I don't trust her, Ryouko is part of our little club." the Affluent Progeny said.

They all gave a firm nod and started walking toward the Nurses office. Sayaka grit her teeth, clenching her hands together. All of them stopped in front of the pink doors, and when Byakuya threw them open, all they were greeted with was nothing, nothing but pink.

"Oh my god...is that blood? Where's Ryouko?" Leon cried.

Mikan made her way into the room, looking around, she saw that the IV line was on the floor, still dripping down. She sighed, looking at her friends.

"It's alright, Ryouko just tore the line off her arm, all of this blood is hers." she said.

"Then where did she go? She couldn't have gone that far." Sayaka cried.

"Split up and check every room in the academy, we have to find Makoto and Yuno." Hina cried. Byakuya smirked, pushing his glasses up his nose, ignoring the pain on his cheek.

"This is getting interesting." he muttered.

"Please, even when you get hit in the face you still act like an arrogant prick." the purple haired girl snapped, brushing past him.

"At least I am honest with how I act dear Kyoko. What have you been hiding this entire time? What was the need to explore the academy at night?" he asked.

"I haven't the time to answer your questions. I have to find my brother before it's too late." she said, disappearing up the stairs.

"Brother? So there is something Yuno is hiding...interesting, this might be the best part of this game yet." he said, remaining on the first floor.

Sayaka raced across the halls of Hope's Peak Academy, searching through every room at a blinding rate. She had already searched through the second floor, and had just finished checking the third. Racing up to the fourth, she headed toward the Music Hall, slamming the doors open. She paused, panting for breath, her forehead was slicked with sweat, and she felt a bit dizzy, having not eaten anything the night before.

She walked deeper into the Music hall, looking around.

She swallowed hard, the familiar scent of copper hitting her nose. She walked toward the stage, seeing one of the large curtains had been ripped right off the rungs at the top of the ceiling. She could see something underneath it, and when she walked up to it, she saw a bit of blood.

"Oh god...Yuno...please don't let it be you." she whispered, grabbing the edges of the curtain. She pulled it off the stage, her eyes going wide. She fell back, letting out a blood curdling scream.

"NO!" she shouted.

"Sayaka!" Leon cried, racing to her side. He looked at the stage, seeing the body that was lying on it, the knife still plunged into its chest.

"What happened, I heard you scream." Kyoko cried, walking hastily into the room.

" _Ding Ding Ding, a body has been discovered, after a set amount of time, which you may use as you wish, a class trial will be held. Man, taking a night off was definitely a great idea, I'm sure you'll love this case, it still makes me shiver. Upupupupupu!"_

 _ **(Fighting for Hope Daily Life End)**_

 _ **(Fighting for Despair Deadly Life begin)**_


	28. Chapter 5 Act 4: Fighting for Despair

**A/N: Hello and welcome to the final act of Chapter Five. Man I still can't believe how far this story has come. This just started off as a tiny little idea and it turned into this. I can honestly say that it's been a blast writing it, and all of you have been so kind to me. As of now, there are only a few chapters left. The next chapter of course will be a Hiyoko side story chapter, picking up right before the fifth class trial. I hope you are all enjoying it, and I'm sure you'll love it. Also, I'd like to thanks all of those who have been following this story since day one, it's because of you that I've been inspired to continue this.**

 **So now that we are one chapter away from the end, with the last four acts making up that chapter, I will once again say that I will take a break for a few days to work on the plot for the sequel. I will also be working on The End of Hope's Peak Academy, and adding to it until it also reaches it's end. It's almost half way done at this point, as I only have a few more things to add before I start getting into the later series. As for Ultra Despair Girls, since I already decided to make it from the point of view of Yuuki Maizono and Akira Tetsujima, I decided to start that story six months after the people who survived Hope's Peak Academy leaves. The very beginning will be from the point of view of Daisuke and Hiyoko, as they travel to Novoselic to recover the first Ultimate Despair, Mahiru Koizumi, as well as to check on the state of the country while Prince Ashton Nevermind called a temporary cease fire. I know what drove the Ultimate Despair to Towa city was what happened there, but I will make my own twists to it, plus I also wanted Daisuke and Peko to have a really awesome battle.**

 **Just to clarify, Daisuke, Hiyoko and Sonia are all infected with Despair, but have not succumbed to it, think about it like the Green Flu from Left4Dead, people can carry it and infect others, but they won't succumb to it and turn into zombies, the thing is that if they don't get a dose of special medicine, or listen to a story told by Daisuke, then the despair will start ebbing at their minds until they succumb fully to it. Periodically, they will have parts where there eyes are normal, and their eyes are crimson, just because they are doesn't mean they are in despair mode though. Hope that clears it up if you were asking any questions.**

 **On a final note, for some reason the site isn't letting me see my reviews, I still encourage you all to leave them as I will eventually be able to see them, but if you have any questions regarding the contents of this chapter, then please feel free to message me, that way I can stay on top of the ball and answer you back as quickly as I can. Without further adoo, here is Chapter 5 Act 4, enjoy it!**

 **Update: 7/1/17: Chapter 5 Act 4 has been edited and uploaded. This is actually the second half of Act 3 which was split in half to create this new Act. The original Act 4 shall be posted as its own new act, being Act 5 of the story and the final act of this chapter.**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 5

Act 4

Fighting For Despair

The simultaneous dinging of the handbooks filled the music room, and Kyoko was quick to pull hers out, clicking on the Monokuma file. She tried not to let her emotions cloud her judgment, but her eyes we're already soaked with tears. She wiped the tears away with her sleeve, reading the file.

 **Victim's name: Makoto Naegi**

 **Estimated Time of Attack: 2:09AM**

 **Cause of Injury: A knife plunged into the chest**

 **Last Night, the Victim Makoto Naegi was called into the Music Room by the assailant to discuss something in private. After waiting for a few minutes, Makoto turned to leave but was finally greeted by his friend. A fight ensued, leaving the wounded student on the stage to bleed out.**

"What...no...this can't be." Kyoko whispered, almost dropping her handbook.

She made her way onto the stage, taking her gloves off her hands. Leon and Sayaka gasped, seeing the burn marks that we're underneath. She placed her fingers against his neck, eyes widening.

"He's still alive. Go find Mikan we need to get him down to the Nurses office right now, or we won't make it!" she cried.

"Alright, I'll go get her." Leon said, breaking into a dead sprint.

"How did this happen? Why would someone attack Makoto? He didn't do anything wrong." Sayaka said.

"This was most likely a preemptive strike. Whoever did it was convinced by the mastermind to kill Makoto. It seems like he's becoming a threat to them, and they wanted him disposed off." Kyoko said firmly.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

Kyoko took out a sheet of paper from her pocket, handing it to the Pop Sensation. She looked at it, reading it carefully, though her hands we're still shaking.

" _Makoto Naegi, in the event that something should happen, I would like to entrust hope to you. This academy is our lifeline and we must not escape, everything outside has gone to shit, you know it and I know it, but I cannot trust myself to watch over all of you. The new generation needs to be lead by someone who has hope for the future, and you are the most likely candidate for this. With this, I make you Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, lead them to the future."_

Sayaka looked at Kyoko, her expression hard to read. She was filled with concern for Makoto, that was certain, but this letter was something to raise alarm. What was happening outside? And why did the old Headmaster think Makoto would make a better headmaster?

Mikan and Leon raced into the room, the nurse having brought her large bag of supplies.

Her eyes were puffy from crying, but she had a firm look on her face. Kyoko stepped aside allowing her to examine the fallen student. She threw open her bag, and pulled out several packs of blood, along with the necessary lines.

"I need to perform the surgery here. Without Sakura we won't be able to transport him to the nurses office without causing him more injury. Leon, I need you to cut his clothes." she said, handing the baseball star a sharp pair of clothing shears. He carefully cut through his hoodie and tee shirt, being careful around the knife.

"We need to work on this investigation, last time this happened we focused on Taeko and didn't investigate at all, we can't make that mistake twice. Sayaka you and I will start solving this, I need to find my brother so you'll have to search on your own for now." She said.

"Your brother?" She asked.

"Yuno, he's my little brother Hisashi. Something was done to our bodies, making us not remember each other and so far it's proven true, but I want to figure out everything revolving around the academy first. We have to find him before anything else happens." she said.

"Why didn't he tell anyone about this?" Leon asked quietly.

"With how he is right now, I doubt he would want to stress us out anymore. We need to focus, Leon I need you to wash your hands thoroughly with this water, we can't risk giving him an infection. This knife didn't go in that deep, so I'll be able to save him." she said firmly.

"Alright, you two head on outta here. If no one is investigating than this trial will go south real fast."

"Right, let's go find Yuno, after that we can start this investigation, though I am already certain of who did this." Kyoko said firmly, turning to leave the Music hall, with Sayaka in tow.

Meanwhile on the Fifth floor, Taeko and Byakuya we're looking through the rooms, with the Gambler being a bit angry that she had gotten stuck with the Affluent Progeny.

"You know, I'm disappointed in you, baiting poor Sayaka like that. You know Yuno would never commit murder." she said, closing the door to room 5-A. The man chuckled.

"Given the circumstances, I'm sure any of us will fall to the same level. After all, the mastermind still has plenty against us...I just wish to know the end goal, what is happening outside this academy, and why are there class trials?" he asked firmly.

"We'll never find that out if we keep working against each other. You need to give Kyoko her room key back and let her handle this investigation. Clearly she is the best one suited for the job." Taeko said.

"You trust her, even after everything she has done? She's been acting shady and now apparently broke the rules with no repercussion. That cannot fly in this academy, not anymore."

"Who died and made you the headmaster shit for brains? You can't fucking tell us how to do a goddamn thing in this place." Taeko snapped angrily, glaring at the blond. He smirked.

"You may have dropped your accent but your attitude betrays you. You really are the queen of lairs." he replied.

She groaned angrily, walking into the Dojo. Her eyes widened, as she saw Yuno standing in the center of the room, a long bow in his hands. The snap of the string filled the quiet room, along with the soft thud of the arrow striking its target. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Yuno, there you are. We've been worried sick." She said, walking to him. He looked at her, face emotionless.

"Have you now? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you or anyone else." he said, turning back to the targets.

"How long have you been here?" Byakuya asked.

"Not long. I came up her just before six." he replied.

"So, you don't know who injured Makoto? Surely you saw the message and read the file. Why aren't you investigating?" he asked.

"I...don't know. I doubt I'll be able to find the killer this time around." he said, dropping his bow to the ground.

"Why...do you say that?" Taeko asked, taking a hesitant step back.

"I don't know." he said simply, heading toward the exit. Byakuya shook his head, following the teen out of the room.

"Stop right there Yuno, we haven't finished our conversation."

"I don't want to talk right now Byakuya. Leave me alone, if Makoto is injured, I have to find out who did it." he said, his tone sounding dull and lifeless.

"No, we are going to speak right now. Stop I say!" he cried.

Yuno however kept walking, heading toward the Botanic Garden. Taeko found it a little odd, but seeing as the last class trial was the hardest of them all, it wasn't out of the question to search everywhere thoroughly. As they entered the garden though, the three of them stopped, seeing an masked person laying on the ground, a knife plunged into the center of their chest. The body was dressed with a white jacket, and a weird looking mask that covered their features.

" _Ding ding ding, a body has been discovered. After a certain amount of time has passed, we will hold a class trial. Good luck everyone!"_ Monokuma cried out, the screen fizzing to black.

"If this isn't Yuno nor Makoto, then that means it's Ryouko. We'll have to check her face." Taeko said, reaching for her mask.

"No don't!" Yuno cried, reaching for the girl. As soon as she pulled the mask off, the body exploded, sending the two tumbling back into the bushes.

"What the fuck!" Byakuya snapped, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Put the fire out, quickly." Yuno snapped, racing over to the body.

He took his vest off and started putting the fire out. Taeko got up, being a bit unstable on her feet, but she walked over to the drain, where Byakuya was already filling up the buckets. She handed one to Yuno who poured it onto the body.

"Who the hell sets a bomb on a body?" Taeko snapped, throwing her water onto the flaming corpse.

"A sick individual who wants to make this harder for us." Yuno cried, racing over to Byakuya, taking two more buckets of water with him.

It took them about ten minutes, but the body had finally been put out. Yuno fell back to the ground, panting a bit. He wiped his sweat away with his shirt, looking at the body.

"Great, we won't be able to identify who it was, but I have a hunch that it was Ryouko." Byakuya said.

"It isn't Ryouko." Yuno said.

"How can you tell? The body is female, and clearly she's the only one who's missing." Taeko said.

"It isn't her, Ryouko has a tattoo on the back of her hand, and this body doesn't have one. I don't know who this is but clearly it isn't her." he said, glancing at the two.

"If...if it isn't her than, could it be the student that Kyoko discovered? Mukuro Ikusaba?" Taeko asked.

"It makes no sense, why would it be her?" Byakuya asked.

"Wait...what did Kyoko discover exactly?" Yuno asked.

"She broke into the Headmaster's office and stole a profile on Mukuro Ikusaba, we were all going to look into it when you, Ryouko and Makoto turned up missing, and now we are in a double investigation. If we don't find Ryouko soon, I fear the one who did this will have three murders on their hands." Taeko replied.

"That wouldn't be possible, it's against the rules. Something isn't adding up right now, and I have to figure out what." Yuno said firmly.

He didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't about to let them know that. He knelt before the body, looking it over. He noticed the knife that had been stabbed in the center of the body was actually a survival knife.

"A survival knife? That looks like the one Ryouko had with her yesterday." he said.

"She had a knife? Like this? Why didn't you tell us?" Byakuya snapped.

"I was going to tell you, but I don't know what she did with it...I think it belongs to Mukuro Ikusaba. She was the only other person aside from us who explored that bloody room on this floor, perhaps it was hidden there." he said.

" _ **Survival Knife was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

He prodded at the body with his finger, looking at the blood on his finger tip. It smelled a little odd, not like human blood.

"This blood is still wet, meaning this couldn't have taken place more than an hour ago. That can't be...I was on this floor the entire time, I would have heard the scream." he said.

"Surely the person could have waited right?" Taeko said.

"Perhaps, but it still makes no sense to me."

" _ **Weird Blood was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

He stood up, looking around the room. He ducked his hand in his pocket, pulling out his handbook. He scrolled to the latest Monokuma file, reading it over.

 **Victim's name: ? (Thought to be Mukuro Ikusaba)**

 **Time of Death: Approximately 7:30AM**

 **Cause of Death: A Single Stab Wound to the Chest.**

 **The victim, thought to be Mukuro Ikusaba was found in the Botanical Garden by Yuno, Taeko and Byakuya. The body was found in the center of the garden with the knife sticking from the chest. When the mask was taken off, the body exploded, suffering third degree burns on the face and chest.**

"7:30 in the morning? That can't be possible, the Sprinkler system is on a timer, during that time their on. The body would have been soaking wet if that had happened." Yuno said.

"Are you sure of this?" Byakuya asked.

"Certain. I tried coming here the day after this floor was available and saw the sprinkler system was active. It runs for about an hour, meaning in order for this to work it had to have been before or after the sprinklers came on." he said.

"Clearly something is off. Perhaps the body was covered?" Taeko suggested.

"That may be possible."

" _ **Time of Death was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Sprinkler System was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Yuno decided to check the shed. Inside, he found a rolled up white tarp, which was still a little moist. He also saw a hatchet on the ground, still covered in blood. Looking at the shelf on the back, he saw a small pool of it, slowly dripping off the side.

"Hmm...this is interesting. The tarp was definitely used, that means the body could have been covered with it. But what about the blood and the hatchet?"

" _ **Bloody Hatchet was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Wet Tarp was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

Not finding anything else, he left the shed, walking over to the Chicken coop. He noticed one of the chickens was missing. He looked over to where Taeko and Byakuya stood, still examining the body. He walked over to them, grabbing their attention.

"Taeko, when you and Sayaka came up here last time, how many chickens were in the coop?" he asked.

"I counted six chickens the last time I was here. I remember them fondly, after all I spent an hour trying to round them up." she said.

"So one of the chickens is missing. The bloody hatchet in the shed now has a purpose." he muttered to himself.

" _ **Missing Chicken was added to your Truth Bullets."**_

" _ **Bloody Hatchet was updated."**_

"This body has an injury on the head, right around the area of the forehead, it seems as if she was struck with something really hard, but what that was is beyond me." Byakuya said.

"She was attacked before she was killed. If that's true then what happened to the weapon used in this attack? I don't see anything around here that could be used." Taeko said.

"It's quite simple, I have my suspicions but my prime suspect is none other than Yuno himself. It is an uncanny oversight that you conveniently didn't hear this. You admitted to coming here in the morning and you were in the Dojo, across from the Botanic Garden, so it wouldn't be hard for you to do it. You also know about the sprinkler system, so that's another tally on the list." he said.

"You can't be serious. Yuno would never kill anyone, didn't you listen to Sayaka in the plaza? Or do you want another punch to the face? Because clearly you haven't learned your lesson." Taeko said, raising her fist.

"Don't worry about it. He can think it's me all he wants, but the truth eludes him. I know I didn't kill this person, and that's all that matters. Besides, I wasn't the only one who knew about Mukuro Ikusaba. Makoto and Kyoko knew about her too. So does Ryouko, who is still missing by the way." he said.

"Four people knew about this woman, and no one thought it would be a good idea to share it. I cannot believe you people, if it gets you kill in the end, then so be it, but don't include me when your execution comes knocking."

With that, the rich heir left the garden, still thinking everything over. Yuno shook his head turning back to Taeko, who was still very angry.

"What's this about a punch to the face?" he asked.

"Your girlfriend gave him a nice left hook this morning after accusing you of murdering someone. It was really fascinating to watch." she replied.

"Damn, I would have loved to see that." Yuno said, a smug look on his face. He frowned, looking away from her.

" _Still, he might be right after all. I can't tell them anything, and I don't even remember anything after I fell asleep with Sayaka. I'm running out of time, but I can at least prove myself innocent of killing Mukuro Ikusaba, I know for a fact this isn't her. But what about Ryouko?"_

"I need to check something, tell everyone else not to worry about me alright?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

"Alright...be safe Yuno." she said, giving him a tight hug.

He hugged her back, before leaving the Botanical garden, racing down the stairs and across the Fourth floor. He hurried down the stairs, stopping briefly to catch his breath, before heading toward the second floor. Once he was there, he walked into the Boy's bathroom, moving toward the last stall. He pushed the door open, noticing the back wall was slightly open. He hurried through it, his eyes widening.

The laptop that contained Alter Ego, was nothing more than a pile of broken pieces, littering the floor. Next to it was a baseball bat, with the name Crazy Diamonds written on the side with marker. He looked at the ground, finding the body of Ryouko Otonashi, a bit of blood had stained her shirt, and he saw the bandage on her arm, where she had ripped out her IV line. She groaned, her eyes opening.

"Ryouko, are you alright?" he asked, kneeling down before her.

"What? Where am I?" she asked softly.

"On the second floor, in the hidden room. Do you remember getting here?" he asked.

"No...I don't remember anything." she said.

He nodded, and slipped his arms around her smaller frame, and lifted her up effortlessly. He moved out of the secret room, not bothering to close it, after all the files we're gone and Alter Ego was destroyed. He could only hope she was able to make it into the school network before she was destroyed. If not, then all hope was definitely lost for good. He didn't know why, but he felt himself smirk at that detail, his eyes flashing a bright red.

 _ **xxx**_

"Makoto's surgery was successful. Just like I thought, the knife didn't puncture anything, but he's out of it, he won't be able to make it to the class trial." Mikan said, lowering her mask.

Now that he had been saved, Leon had been able to move him down to the Nurses office. Sayaka, Taeko and Leon had crowed around the bed, frowns on their faces.

"Why does this keep happening?" Sayaka whispered, seeing another one of her friends getting hurt really made her heart hurt.

"I don't know. That sick bastard pulling the strings, goddamn you. The headmaster of the academy has to pay for this." Leon said.

"I'm not so sure it is him. Kyoko showed me a letter she had found in his office, stating that he was passing his position of Headmaster to Makoto. We looked around for clues of what happened to him in the Music Hall but we didn't find anything, not a single clue. He was stabbed and that was it, no foot prints, no signs of struggle in the room, nothing, even though the file says there was a sign of struggle." Sayaka said.

"May I see the note?" Taeko asked, earning a nod from her. She took the folded piece of paper from her bra, and handed it to the gambler, who started reading it over.

"This doesn't make sense, why would the Headmaster of this academy make Makoto the headmaster? Why are we all here and who the hell is doing this?" Leon asked.

"I don't know, but perhaps we should all leave Makoto's side, so he can rest. We still have to investigate Mukuro Ikusaba's murder." Mikan said sadly, just as they were going to leave, Yuno entered the Nurse's office, carrying Ryouko with him. Sayaka gasped, a few tears escaping her eyes.

"Yuno...sweetheart I thought you we're dead." she said.

"Heh, it's gonna take a lot to kill me, you know that. I found Ryouko here on the second floor, in the bathroom." he said, setting her down on one of the spare beds.

"In the bathroom, why would she be there of all places? There's a bathroom on this floor." Taeko said.

"Who knows? But she was there, clearly dehydrated. It's a good thing the killer didn't find her." he said, taking a few steps back from her.

"Yuno...did you find any information on the killer? Or about Mukuro Ikusaba?" Sayaka asked. He gave her a nod.

"I found a lot of information, and I already put it all together. All we have to do is set the record straight and condemn the killer." he said with a shrug.

"Don't...don't you care that someone else is going to die?" Leon asked.

"They killed someone, so they have to pay the price, after all that's the rule of the game right? Do you think I can be alone with Makoto for a few minutes? I'd like to check him over for injuries." he said.

"I already did, and I didn't find anything. Sorry Yuno but he needs his rest." Mikan said firmly. Everyone was looking at him oddly, he was acting off, more so than normal. He tilted his head, frowning.

"Oh well, I suppose that's alright. Have any of you found anything of interest?" he asked.

"Kyoko...she found this letter in the Headmaster's office, take a look." Taeko said, handing him the letter. He hummed to himself, his eyes scanning over the words written on it.

"Interesting, so the headmaster of this academy made Makoto the headmaster, with the intent of protecting hope. That just makes this situation a whole lot more peculiar." he said, reaching into his pocket.

"Right, we think something must have happened that made us want to be in this academy. Whoever is doing this messed with our bodies and made it so we couldn't...what are you doing?" Taeko asked, watching as Yuno lit the note on fire. He whistled to himself, watching it start to burn.

"Getting rid of this, we don't need it anymore. We can't let the headmaster know we have this, he'll become a target."

"That's evidence. Quick put it out!" Leon cried, taking the paper from his hands. He softly blew on it, putting it out, but more than half of the note had been burned.

"What the fuck did you do that for Yuno?" Sayaka snapped, glaring at her boyfriend.

"I'm just trying to get rid of the despair that's flowing through all of us. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Will you forgive me?" he asked, trying to give her a hug.

"No, get away from me. You are acting strange." she said.

"Fine, be that way. After everything that happened between us you'll do me like this? I knew I shouldn't have put my hope in you. You can keep the kid." he said, leaving the office, slamming the door after him. Sayaka dropped to her knees, her mouth agape.

"Yuno...please you can't do this to me!" she cried out.

"What is going on with him?" Leon said, glaring at the door.

"It seems...it seems Monokuma's Despair Fever has over taken Yuno's judgment. He's become a member of Despair, just like Bryce did in the past." Taeko said.

"No...he can't...I won't let that happen." Sayaka said.

"I'm sorry Sayaka, but you can't be near him. If we had left him alone with Makoto, who knows what could have happened. We can't trust him anymore, he's become to much of a risk." Mikan said.

"You can't...you can't do this to me you guys. I love him, I can't just watch as he falls into despair. If he falls, I don't know what I'll do." she said.

"You can join him. Wouldn't that be fun?" Monokuma said, appearing in the room.

"What are you doing here?" Leon snapped, balling his fists.

"Just visiting the sick and injured. Two mayor players won't be able to attend the trial later today, a shame really. But this is the most exciting trial of them all, wouldn't you say? The last one was a stepping stone for Hope, but I believe this one will be a stepping stone for despair, if the cards are played right. _Upupupupupu!"_

"Get the fuck out of here! If I could hit you I swear to Christ I would, I would stomp you out until nothing but your wires remained." Taeko snapped.

"Well, you may as well. But you'll have to face punishment if you do." he said, breaking into laughter as he left the room.

"This isn't going to end well you guys. I can already tell." Mikan muttered quietly.

A groan echoed through the room, and they all turned to Makoto, who was finally waking up. Mikan walked over to him, a bright smile on her face.

"Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Where...huh?" he muttered.

"Someone tried to kill you and they left you for dead on the fourth floor, do you remember anything?" she asked.

"Kyoko...she...saved me." he muttered weakly.

"What do you mean Kyoko saved you?" Mikan asked.

"There was...a masked person in my room. She saved me from them...but I woke up in the music room, and I didn't...remember how I got there. It was cold, so cold." he said.

"The killer got into your room? How is that possible, was your door unlocked?" Leon asked.

"Door...was locked. Kyoko...she..."

He passed out after that, being lulled back into a dreamless sleep. Mikan let out a sigh, looking at his IV bag.

"I think I'll administer some more pain medication so he can rest easy. I'll have to hook Ryouko back up too." she said.

"That won't be necessary."

They all watched as the Ultimate Analyst sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked around the room, looking at each one of them.

"It's good to see you all again. How did I get here?" she asked.

"Yuno brought you in, he found you in the bathroom on the second floor. That was before he snapped." Leon said. Her head tilted in confusion.

"I don't remember that happening. This disease can be the most annoying thing at the worse time. Oh, but I did find this on the floor of the bathroom while I was in there." she said, sticking her hand in her pants. She pulled a flat looking key, handing it to Leon.

"Ew, it's still warm. Please tell me you didn't have this in your..."

"Of course not, it was outside my underwear, I couldn't risk the bear seeing it." she said with a bright bubbly grin.

"What the heck is it?" Sayaka asked.

"Looks like a key of some sort. Hmm, let me see it real quick." Taeko said, pulling a tissue from her pocket. She took the key from Leon and wiped it off, looking at it closely.

"As I expected, I think we should all take a trip to the Data Processing Room posthaste. This key might just let us see inside." she said.

"I'll stay with Makoto then, he needs me here." Mikan said.

"I'll go with you then. Should I round everyone up?" Ryouko asked, hopping off the bed.

"Is that a good idea? Aren't you sick?" Sayaka asked.

"Nonsense, I'm fit as a fiddle. Come on, we can't keep them all waiting." she said, exiting the Nurses office.

Sayaka shared a look with her friends, following after the bubbly redhead. They were a step closer to the truth behind this academy, surely the Data Processing Room would hold many answers for them. Would the answer their questions? Or raise new ones? That they didn't know, but it would be better than ignoring everything going around. They weren't going to remain locked up forever, it was about time they all opened that door in the Entrance Hall, and saw the beautiful blue skies of the outside world, filled with nothing but freedom and bright shining Hope. If only their friend wasn't clouded over with Despair, that would have made this discovery that much sweeter.

 _ **Remaining Students 11 (12?)**_

 _ **xxx**_

The gunshots that had been ringing through the building had finally started to die down. It had been extremely difficult getting this far, but they had done it. They had successfully infiltrated the Future Foundation Headquarters and had gotten down to the lower building. Hiyoko pressed herself against the wall, her rifle tightly in her arms. As soon as a Foundation member whizzed by, she bashed him in the side with the stock, sending him flying toward the wall, a single punch from her gauntlet had knocked him out cold. She rose her rifle, pulling the trigger back hard.

The anesthetic ammunition they had been using instantly took effect, taking down the soldiers in their way. She gave Sonia a nod and the two of them, along with Marie Rose and Kazuto moved further into the building, the four person squad had been formed when their soldiers had been attacked, they had lost many lives already, and Sonia couldn't risk losing more of her precious friends.

Walking around the corner, they took out a few scientists, finally making it to the medical bay of the building. Kicking the door open, Hiyoko quickly took out all of the armed forces within. Just beyond her, was her fiancee, still sleeping peacefully.

"He's how this is going to work, one of you is going to wake him up, no questions asked, if you don't comply, you'll be killed. If you try to run, you'll be killed, and trust me, if you try to attack us, you will definitely be killed. So don't fuck this up." she said.

"You there, wake him up now!" Sonia commanded, aiming her gun at the nearest doctor.

"I-It will take minutes for him to react to it, you can't just take him either." the man said.

"Then hurry the fuck up, before I shoot the hell out of you." the princess snapped, making the man nod in fear.

He walked over to the back counter, pulling out the serum Seiko Kimura had developed to wake him up. He filled a syringe with it and injected it straight into his arm, the glowing green liquid flowing into his body.

Lady Sonia, we have confirmation that a Branch Member is heading our way, we do not know whom." one of the soldiers said, earning a nod from Sonia. She dropped her magazine, loading the one filled with Live ammunition, pulling the bolt back to load a fresh round in the chamber.

"Shoot to kill, that's an order." she said.

"Ma'am." they all cried, quickly switching magazines. Hiyoko frowned, but decided to switch magazines herself, not taking her eyes off pod holding her fiancee.

"Sir, the class trial has begun." one of the workers said, trying to get the attention of the doctors.

"Screw that, the class trial isn't important right now." the doctor said, his eyes scanning over Daisuke's sleeping form.

"What the hell is taking so long?" Hiyoko cried angrily, her face contorted in an expression of anger.

"I fucking told you lady, this takes a few minutes to work." he said.

The sounds of gunfire filled their ears, and Hiyoko looked back, seeing several members of the Foundation all of them locked and loaded. She turned around, taking aim at the nearest soldiers.

"Remember what I said, do anything wrong and I will kill you." she said, opening fire.

The doctor was shaking in his boots, glancing at Daisuke's pod, he knew Kimura would most likely kill him for letting their hostage go, but he didn't want to lose his life. He had a wife and child, and he wasn't about to get killed over something stupid. The Ex-Ultimate Story Teller groaned, moving within his pod. A few more minutes and he would be fully awake and conscious.

"How are we doing on that serum doctor?" Sonia asked, taking a step back to replace her magazine.

"He's waking up, just a few more minutes. You can't possibly thrust him into combat like this, he'll be drowsy for several hours." he said.

"Like I said, just focus on waking him up. We'll take care of the rest." Hiyoko replied. She dropped her spent magazine, quickly replacing it.

"Hiyoko!" a voice called out, making the blonde stop.

She looked into the crowd, eyes widening when he saw Ruruka, among the soldiers. She grit her teeth, looking through the sight of her gun.

"Don't come any closer Ruruka. I won't hesitate to shoot you!" she said.

"You promised me, you promised me you would bring him back to me. Look at him, he's fucking dead." she shouted, throwing her smart phone at the blonde. It landed face up, showing a picture of Nick's dead body. Hiyoko grit her teeth, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"You think I don't know that? How could I face you after he died? After I couldn't keep my promise to you?" she cried back.

"Apparently you were able to face everyone else. You broke your promise to me Hiyoko and for that, Daisuke must die here. I will not let him leave this building...even if I have to forfeit my life." she cried, snapping her fingers. All of the soldiers ran forward, their guns poised and ready to shoot.

"We're out numbered. What do we do?" Kazuto asked, looking at his princess. She gave him a smile.

"We fight...we fight until they are all dead. Hope will never fall in the face of Despair." she said.

As she was about to pull the trigger, she heard a voice, a voice that she had longed to hear, for the last few months it was a voice that she thought dead.

" _There once was a man in Peru, who dreamed he was eating his shoe. He woke up with a fright in the dead of the night to find out his dream had been true."_

All of the soldiers stopped walking, pausing to let the story sink into their heads, before falling to the ground, all of them being shot with the anesthetic ammunition. Hiyoko looked over her shoulder, her lip quivering as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Daisuke." she said. He smiled, giving her a nod.

"Now then, here is how it's going to work. All of you future foundation fuck ups are going to back away, and let me and my friends get out of here, or you can come at me and get yourselves killed. What say you Ruruka?" he asked, glaring at the Ex-Ultimate Confectioner. She grit her teeth, glaring at the teen before looking over her shoulder.

"Stand down. We cannot afford to lose anymore forces to them. Listen well, Hiyoko, Daisuke and Sonia...we have tracked down your classmates, the _Ultimate_ _Despairs_ , and are going to kill them all. You think fooling all of us is going to save you. All of you are Ultimate Despair, and all of you will be dealt with accordingly." she said.

"Heh, are you done rambling? I know I am a Ultimate Despair, I've lived with it every day of my life. It will forever haunt me, the lives of countless men, women and children, for the rest of eternity. Besides, you didn't even do anything about Junko Enoshima when it could have made a difference, or are you going to forgive Juzo for his actions?" he asked firmly.

"What are you talking about? Are you trying to confuse me?" Ruruka cried out, clearly confused.

"Daisuke, sweetheart, let's not waste anymore time with these scumbags. Clearly they want to destroy us. We will be securing our friends and we will save them from Despair, something that clearly you haven't been able to do in the years that you've been active. If you we're on top of the ball, you would have realized Junko Enoshima was responsible for everything the day after it happened. We're moving out!" Sonia said, directing her forces forward, all of them keeping their guns trained on the foundation members. Daisuke wrapped her arm around Hiyoko's waist, the girl helping him walk. She stopped, looking at Ruruka.

"I'm sorry, truly I am. We tried to attack them, but the school is impenetrable." she said.

The woman didn't acknowledge her, instead she just let them leave. It wasn't long before she had broken into sobs, the thought of her dead fiancee filling her with despair.

Hiyoko had finally made it outside of the building, hastily helping Daisuke get dressed in a spare Hope's Peak uniform, before they moved out, heading toward their extraction point.

"Sonia, did you hear what that doctor said? The Fourth Class trial has begun, we have to make it back to HQ before it's over." Hiyoko said.

"We won't make it in time, thankfully, we have Tivo back home, so Akira will have it waiting for us when we get back. I hope that son of a bitch has the greatest execution ever." the princess said, a smirk on her face.

"Guys, I don't know how long it's been, but we can't have those thoughts. We were able to snap out of despair once, if we fall we won't be able to do it again." Daisuke warned.

His legs still quivered a bit, after not being in use for awhile, thankfully though, Hiyoko had given him the prosthetics Akira had developed, aiding him in their jog away from the Future Foundation.

"Remember, it was you that snapped us out of our despair. We've been living with it every day since." Sonia said.

"Lady Sonia, we will meet you back at Headquarters, Godspeed." Kazuto said.

"Understood! Good Luck." the princess said.

After a few minutes, they slowed their jog down, using that time to catch their breath. Sonia paused to give the man of her dreams a kiss, happy to see him back on his feet and by her side. Hiyoko huffed, but said nothing, allowing them to continue what they were doing.

"Sonia, would you mind filling me in on what's happening? The last time I was awake, I was facing down the barrel of Junko's gun." Daisuke said.

"A lot has happened since then. The School Life of Mutual Killing has been broadcast all over the world, a lot of our friends have died. Last night, Nick was murdered and now they are holding the Fourth Class trial." she said.

"Jesus Christ, who else is dead?" he asked.

"Mondo Owada, he was the first one to be executed. Kiyotaka Ishimaru was killed by Genocide Jack, and she killed herself and Touko with her. Chihiro was the latest person to face execution. Bryce forced him to not only attempt to kill Hisashi, but also to stab and rape Celestia." Hiyoko said.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed.

"We've tried countless times to get them out, but it is impossible. However, we were able to recover Yasuke Matsuda's Research notes and have been developing something that will help all of us. It was Hiyoko that got them. She made it into the academy proper, but after her run in with Peko, Junko tightened her security." Sonia said.

"You risked your life? For what? Some stupid notes?" he asked firmly, glaring at his fiancee.

"Hey, don't give me shit asshole. I salvaged Yasuke Matsuda's research data, and Akira is already working on something to help our friends. Now that we got you back, we have to work on finding our friends, and bring them back with us." Hiyoko said. He sighed, stopping in his tracks.

"I'm sorry sweetie. It's just...hearing you risking your life, for something like that. I can't help but get angry." he said.

"I thought you we're dead. I was loosing hope, I could feel the despair, ebbing at my soul. I needed to do something to hold it back, so I decided to retrieve that information. Once it's done, we'll be able to wipe our own memories of Junko Enoshima, and keep the beautiful times that we had back in Hope's Peak Academy." she said.

"I know but...you know risking your life like that isn't safe, especially with the baby." he said.

"Baby? What baby?" Sonia asked. Hiyoko looked away from her, her shoulders shaking a bit. Daisuke tilted his head.

"Hiyoko...how long has it been since I fell into that coma?" he asked.

"Three...three months." she said. He looked her over, blinking a few times, dropping his rifle.

"Why...where's the bump? Please...tell me you didn't." he said.

"I lost it...when I saw that you had been shot, I just didn't know how to react. I fell into despair for a few minutes, and in that time, I lost our baby. I'm sorry Daisuke, I'm sorry please don't hate me." she said, breaking into tears. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. I don't hate you, it's my fault, I got myself caught by Junko and that caused us to lose our baby. We'll get revenge on her for it. Count on it." he said, drying her tears. He pulled her into a kiss, hugging her as tightly as he could.

"Not to break this up but we have to go. Hiyoko I want you tell me everything about this miscarriage alright? I should have been told about this sooner." Sonia said.

She was slightly angry that her girlfriend had kept her pregnancy a secret, but she was happy that Daisuke was with them now. Everything would be smooth sailing from then on out, none of them noticed the long haired individual glaring at them, his crimson eyes following them until they we're just out of sight.

"Boring...all of this is so boring." he muttered under his breath, disappearing through the trees, his long black hair billowing in the breeze.


	29. Chapter 5 Act 5: Fighting for Despair

**A/N: This is going to be Chapter 5 Act 5 of The School Life of Mutual Killing. This was the original Act 4 but was instead pushed into being Act 5. Nothing much has changed in this Act, except some continuity errors as well as some grammar fixes for the chapter. The Ending part with Daisuke, Sonia and Hiyoko has remained the same, except it now contains more affection between the three. Other than that, this chapter hasn't changed that much. I will be posting Act 5 of Hiyoko Side along side the rest of Chapter 5...**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 5

Act 5

Fighting for Despair

 _ **(Deadly Life)**_

Making it to the Fourth Floor, the remaining students of Hope's Peak Academy all stopped in front of the elusive Data Processing Room. The only ones currently not with them we're Mikan and Makoto, for obvious reasons, Kyoko who had been searching the school for information and Yuno who had disappeared since he left Ryouko in the Nurses office. Currently, only Sayaka, Leon, Hina, Ryouko, Taeko and Byakuya stood in front of the door. The Ultimate Gambler shared a look with all of the people around her, slipping the key into the small slot. It beeped three times, the red light turning a vibrant green.

"Alright, so it seems my time isn't being wasted." Byakuya said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"What do you think is inside?" Sayaka asked.

"Who knows? Perhaps we'll get a glimpse at our captor?" Taeko said.

"Like they would expose themselves like that, that bastard Headmaster isn't going to hide in plain sight, no matter how obvious it is." Leon added.

"We won't know until we try right? I'll open it." Hina said, a bit of excitement in her voice.

She pulled the handle down, slowly pushing the door open. What they all saw was nothing short of impressive. All around them, were screens, displaying video feed from every room throughout the entire facility. Every single surveillance camera was active, showing live feed of every room, even the Trial Court Room.

Walking further into the room, they all noticed the consoles on the back of the room, advance radar scanners, weather satellites, electrical panels and switches that would control the lighting in the building, the water shut off system, everything that anyone would think of was located in this room.

"What...what the hell is this place?" Leon muttered.

"It seems this is command central. From here, the Mastermind has been able to see our every move and hear our every word. His eyes and ears are literally all over this academy. This equipment must have run in the tens of millions. It is too advanced for an academy of this caliber to even think of owning." Byakuya said, looking closely at one of the screens.

"What's up with this set? All seventeen of these cameras are offline." Ryouko asked, pouting a bit.

"Probably the cameras that give us live feed from the outside. They must not want us to see the sweet outdoors just yet." Byakuya said, a smirk on his face.

"Hmm...where does this door lead?" Hina muttered, trying to open the Monokuma themed door in the back of the room. The knob jiggled as she tested it, but it held true.

"Locked. Guess we won't be able to see what's inside." she said sadly.

"I don't get it, what is the mastermind getting by exposing this to us? There isn't a motive behind it either." Sayaka said, looking around the room.

"Are you sure you found this key in the bathroom Ryouko?" Leon asked, earning a nod from the redhead, who placed her hands behind her back.

"I was looking around for my missing notebook and I felt the urge to pee, so I walked into the nearest bathroom, and when I was coming out of the stall, I stepped on it. I thought it was important so I shoved it in my underwear, so the mastermind didn't see it in my hand." she said.

"If they placed it there deliberately, there was no need to place it in your underwear, you idiot." the heir said, glaring at the redhead. She puffed her cheeks.

"Well excuse me mister, if you had found it where would you put it? I'm wearing a skirt, it's not as if I can just shove it in my glory hole. Besides my tits are so big I can't wear a bra, so I couldn't hide it there either." she replied.

"Too much information sweetheart." Hina said, shaking it off.

"Hey dudes, check out this television set, the antenna hooked up to it leads outside." Leon said. Everyone raced over to the counter, where the flatscreen television was sitting.

"Turn it on, maybe we can get a news channel or something." Hina said.

"CNN?" Byakuya suggested, getting curious looks from them.

"What? I enjoy listening to the politics of other countries, that way I can mock and laugh the candidates as they make fools of themselves." Byakuya said.

"You really are bastard aren't you?" Sayaka muttered dryly. Leon looked around on the set but couldn't find any buttons.

"Damn, we need the remote." he muttered.

"You mean this remote?" Monokuma cried, appearing behind the two, holding the device they we're searching for.

"Gah...what the hell are you doing here?" Hina cried, completely startled by the bear.

"Well, now that you have all penetrated my inner sanctum, and tried to turn on that idiot box no less, I may as well show you what all the noise is about. So turn your eye holes toward the screen." he said, pressing the power button. They all watched intently, waiting for the image to appear. Their eyes widened, when they saw themselves on the screen.

"What the hell is this?" Byakuya cried, clearly confused.

"School Life of Mutual Killing?" Taeko read out loud.

"Why are we on television? This another video camera feed?" Leon asked.

"No, this is live. This is happening Live." Sayaka said firmly.

"What is the meaning of this bear, out with it."

"This is School Life of Mutual Killing, everything that is being shown on these cameras is being broadcast to the world. It's the Ultimate Reality Television show. I keep these cameras rolling 24/7 and the crowd just eats it up." Monokuma called out.

"That's impossible. If the people on the outside are watching this, then the police would come investigate this." Hina said.

"Well, let's say the police _did_ want to start an investigation? Why would they? After all this is television, everything that's happening could very well be fake!" he said.

"Fake...does that mean...the others are alive then?" Leon asked hopefully.

"Nope, the others are dead as a door nail, and don't worry, even if I did confess to all of the murder that's been happening, I'm home free, because it's all of you that's been committing it. Upupupupupu!"

"This isn't happening, what is going on right now?" Byakuya said.

"Hey Monokuma, if this is being broadcast live to the outside, does that mean no one is coming to help us? Was Akihiko part of this whole plot too?" Ryouko asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about doll face? I have no idea who you are talking about." Monokuma said.

"But what about that blonde girl, the one who killed Akihiko? What about Pekoyama, and the Ninja girl I saw fighting outside the window? More importantly, why was the academy retrofitted with Anti-Tank Rifles and Gatling Guns? What are we fighting?" she asked.

"ENOUGH! Ahem, it's time for me to remind you that you are all in the middle of an investigation. So without further adoo, it's time to get this class trial on underway. Head to the red doors on the first floor, it's time to have an amazing class trial." Monokuma cried out, laughing as he went.

"Something is fishy here, none of this is making sense to me right now. Why would he reveal this to us? Who's sick enough to watch this show." Taeko asked.

"He was definitely hiding something. Those questions I just asked him were things that I remember from the outside. I was originally being held in the Neuroscience Lab on the East Courtyard of Hope's Peak Academy." Ryouko said, placing her hand under her chin.

"Whoa...what is...your voice changed." Leon said.

"Hmm? Did it? I'm sorry...I was just analyzing Monokuma's reactions to the questions I asked him. None of them match the reactions I was expecting him to give. I think we may having him near the corner. We'll have to figure out this class trial in order to find that out." she said firmly, heading out of the room. Everyone watched her go, their eyes wide with shock.

"Did, Ryouko seem off to you just now?" Hina asked.

"She is the Ultimate Analyst. She was just using her talent to analyze the situation. If that's the case, considering the fact that Yuno isn't stable at the moment, she might be our saving grace during this trial." Taeko replied.

"I hope...I can't exactly count on Yuno at the moment, as much as it pains me to admit it." Sayaka replied, her tone filled with worry.

It wasn't long before everyone had gathered before the felt doors on the first floor. They slowly swung open, revealing the familiar elevator they had all come to hate. Sayaka, Leon, Taeko, Ryouko, Byakuya, Kyoko and Yuno had made their way inside.

The lavender haired girl couldn't keep her eyes off her brother, the young man just looked straight, no emotion in his eyes. He blinked a few times, his eyes drifting to look at everyone around him. There wasn't a trace of the person they had once known in those eyes. It took everything she had for Sayaka not to break down.

"So, it seems most of us are present. All we have to do is wait for Mikan to show up and we can get this show on the road." Leon said, a smile on his face.

"Yes, this murder case is in the bag. I have concluded my investigation and have discovered every single detail pointing to the attacker and the murderer of Mukuro Ikusaba." Yuno added, his voice free of emotion. It was as if a robot had spoken through him. There was absolutely nothing in there.

"Yuno...you're acting strange. Is something wrong?" Kyoko asked quietly.

"Nothing is wrong dear sister, and I would prefer it if you called me Hisashi. After all that is my name." he said firmly.

"Y-Yuno." Sayaka said, gaining his attention.

"You and I have nothing to talk about. As I said before, I have lost my trust in you." he said, his head snapping back to face the wall.

"Hey, what the fuck is your deal? This isn't you Yuno, so stop acting like a hardass." Hina said.

"I'm sorry, how do you wish for me to act Asahina? Like an obnoxious eleven year old? Please educate me, because you of all people should know how an adult acts. You people piss me off." he said, crossing his arms.

"This isn't like him...the Despair Fever warped his mind." Taeko muttered, earning a nod from Leon.

"Hey guys."

They all looked back, seeing Makoto and Mikan, slowly making their way toward the room. The teen had taken a shower, with the nurse's help of course, and had dressed in a fresh set of his normal clothes. He had a cane grasped in his left hand, using it to compensate for his injury. Mikan gave them all a smile.

"I couldn't convince him to stay up here. I caught him up to everything that's been happening." She said.

"Yeah, so don't worry. We'll get out of his trial alive, all of us." he said, sparing a glance at Yuno who just glared at him with his crimson eyes.

"Makoto, you should go rest. You just survived a stabbing, what are you doing here man?" Leon asked.

"I can't let despair win. If we do, then there won't be any hope left for us to fight. We can't just lie down, even if I was bleeding out, I would make my way into that court room and die on the stand, if it meant setting you free." he said.

Yuno looked away from him, his eyes flashed between lavender and crimson, finally settling on crimson. He shook his head, looking at the ground. The elevator doors slowly opened, and the remaining ten students made their way into the small metal cage. It shook a bit, as it started making its decent toward the trial court room.

No one uttered a word as the door dinged and everyone walked into the room.

The Trial court room, while the center had remained the same, the walls had changed once more, this time being a rainbow pattern, with each square being a different color. The images of the fallen still remained, their stands being occupied as they were forced to sit through yet another class trial. Everyone took their seats, with Monokuma tapping his gavel on the arm chair.

"Alright then, let this class trial to solve the case of Mukuro Ikusaba and Makoto Naegi's attacker begin."

"Alright, I'll begin with Makoto's attacker. According to the Monokuma file, this attack happened at 2:09AM within the Music Hall on the fourth floor. No traces of attack we're found at the scene, including traces of anything that could point the finger at the potential killer. I believe the knife that was used was the only clue we have. Makoto, do you remember any of this?" Byakuya asked.

"I...I do." the Lucky student said, glancing at Yuno with his eyes, the teen didn't move nor say anything, just kept watching.

"I was given a note shortly after nighttime, telling me to head to the Music Hall at 2:00 to discuss the origins of Mukuro Ikusaba. I got there at exactly 2:00 but the person never showed up, at around 2:07, I heard footsteps and turned around, only to feel the knife plunged into my chest. I don't remember much, but the person was wearing a weird mask, and they had a labcoat on." he said.

"A lab coat? Like the one that was found on Ikusaba's body on the fifth floor?" Taeko asked.

"I didn't see that scene, so I assume so yes." Makoto said.

"So, that means it was Ikusaba who stabbed Makoto." Leon said.

"You got that wrong." Yuno said, glaring at the baseball star.

"Alright, explain yourself." the heir said.

"If it was Ikusaba that committed murder, how was it that she was able to rid herself of the bloody clothes? After all, Makoto's blood had to have splashed all over her lab coat. Let us not forget that he was also found on the stage...if Ikusaba had stabbed Makoto, she would have had to carry him onto the stage, and I noticed the stairs on both sides of the stage had been taken elsewhere." he said.

"That is true...I had to climb onto the stage when Leon got me." Mikan added.

"That makes sense yes, but what if she stabbed him on stage? Then your claim becomes null and void. As for what she used to stop the blood from soaking her, that is obvious. The tarp on the fifth floor should have been enough to shield her from blood. The cleaning supplies in any of the bathrooms is enough to clean away the blood, and the sprinkler system in the botanical garden is enough to wash the blood away from the tarp." Byakuya said.

"Yeah, but it also contradicts another thing. If Ikusaba had been the murderer, or at least the attacker, than who the hell did her in? I was in the dojo at six am and I didn't see her go past me into the garden, and we already know the sprinkler system activates at seven every morning. And if she we're wearing the tarp, Makoto would have mentioned it, thus she wasn't wearing it at all." he said.

"Which brings me to my second point. The one who killed Mukuro Ikusaba was none other than Yunosuke Nagahama, or should I say _Hisashi_ _Kirigiri_?" he asked.

"You make a bold claim, but are you looking at all the evidence?" Yuno said.

"Of course we are. Dude, you are being accused right now, how can you be taking this in stride?" Leon asked.

"It's quite simple, I am not a buffoon who over looks the tiniest of details. I stated before that I had witnessed Ryouko Otonashi holding a survival knife that she had found on the fifth floor, in classroom 5-C. I saw her walking into her dorm room with it, meaning it would have been in her possession, so that means she was the one who killed Mukuro Ikusaba."

"What? I would never kill anyone." Ryouko snapped, glaring at the violet haired teen.

"Really? Then what we're you doing with the knife? Matter of fact, when you were heading toward your dorm during Sayaka's concert yesterday, you stopped at the Boy's bathroom on the Second floor, we're you perhaps looking at the files hidden in the very back room? Are you the one who struck Makoto and hid those files? Because they hold the truth about what's happening within this academy?" he asked firmly.

"Damn, this is getting intense. I knew this was going to be the best trial yet." Monokuma said, at the edge of his seat.

"I did no such thing, I don't even remember going up there." Ryouko snapped, glaring at the purple haired teen.

"But you remember everything up until then, so that means that mental disorder that you have is a crock of shit and you have been lying about it this entire time. Using a disease as an excuse for murder is disgusting." he said.

"Then allow me to clear her of any doubt." Kyoko said, holding up her notebook, only it had the name Ryouko Otonashi on it.

"My notebook, where did you find it?" she asked.

"Yuno handed it to me yesterday, requesting that I take a look at it's contents, and I what I found out was alarming. Not only is there proof that she didn't kill Mukuro Ikusaba, there is proof that she was indeed in the bathroom during the time everyone was in the Music Hall, while Sayaka was setting up her concert." She said.

"So, that means she didn't kill Ikusaba?" Leon asked.

"That is indeed the fact. However, I cannot clarify where you were during that time Yuno. You found Ryouko in her bedroom passed out, that would have given you the chance to not only take her notebook, which you clearly did, but also to rob her of the knife she had found on the fifth floor. This crime is once again pointing toward you." Kyoko said confidently.

Even though her face held no emotion, her heart stung, having to accuse her own flesh and blood of murder was driving her into despair.

"Hmm, really? If I did indeed kill Mukuro Ikusaba then go ahead and prove it. Make your Argument!"

"I.."

"Of course you can't really do that, when the possibilities of you being the murderer are quite obvious. After all, you not only broke the door into the Headmaster's office, but you also destroyed a surveillance camera, two infractions on the rules of this establishment. It is also obvious that you we're the one who killed Ikusaba. After examining her corpse, I found that she had a fracture in her skull consistent with blunt force trauma caused by a pipe or other blunt object. Such object could be used, but the object that was used was the long bow that was securely put away in Locker six of the Dojo. I found this wooden key in your bedroom." he said, holding the wooden key with the Kanji for six written on it.

"There's one flaw in that statement, I've never been to the dojo, so how would I know that there was a bow there?" she asked.

"I don't know, why don't you tell us dear sister?" he asked.

"This can't be happening, Kyoko would never commit murder." Makoto snapped, making everyone look at him firmly.

"Besides, Yuno contradicted himself. When me and Byakuya went to the dojo, we saw him using the same bow he was just talking about. If it was secured in the locker then how did you get it out? Especially if you didn't have the key." Taeko asked.

"On a more interesting note, how did you get access to Kyoko's bedroom when I have her room key?" Byakuya asked.

"I asked Monokuma to let me in. After all, a search of every room was necessary in order to build my investigation." he said with a smirk.

"Yuno...you need to stop this. This isn't you, don't let them win." Mikan said, pleaded to her friend in hopes that he would snap out of what he was under.

"I am not letting anyone win dear Mikan. By the way, you have a lovely stash of porn hidden under your mattress, it was a very interesting read." he said with a smile.

"How did you...find those?" she asked.

"As I said, I gained access to every dorm in the academy in hopes that I could find the evidence I needed to further my investigation. That is also how I found the wooden room key." he said.

"If you we're thinking logically, you would know that I didn't have access to my room the entire night. How else could I have gotten into the room?"

Makoto stiffened in his stand, his hand resting on his chin in thought. He looked at the lavender haired detective as she continued with her explanation of what had happened the night before.

" _That isn't necessarily true. She told me about the Skeleton key she had taken from Monokuma, shortly after I had transported Alter Ego to the second floor. She also told me she found the laptop destroyed, could it have been Yuno?"_ he thought to himself.

"That's a false claim and you know it Kyoko! You and I both know you had another way into your bedroom." Yuno said.

"You got that wrong!" Makoto said, everyone stood stock still in their stands, watching the injured Lucky Student as he shoulders shook. He took a deep breath, looking at everyone around him.

"Kyoko didn't have another way into her bedroom. Byakuya took her key, we were all present and accounted for when that happened. The locks on our dormitory doors are unable to be picked or broken so she didn't get in that way. In fact, I took a blanket to the bath house where she had to sleep for the night, after talking to Monokuma for an hour." Makoto said.

"This is true. The lad wouldn't stop begging me to let her sleep in the bath house so I allowed it." the bear replied.

"Well...there you go. Kyoko couldn't have killed Ikusaba if she didn't get access to her room." Leon said.

"Which naturally puts the blame back on Yuno. Let us speak of another thing, the body was found in the Botanic Garden and the time of death was approximately 7:30. We established that the sprinkler system would have been active and the tarp was used to cover the body. But when Taeko was about to remove the mask you told her to wait, as if you knew there was a bomb strapped to the body that would ignite upon it's removal. Explain that?" Byakuya snapped, pointing at Yuno.

"Are you insinuating that I rigged the body? Please, where would I even find the explosive necessary to make such a thing happen? I merely told her to wait because I had seen something like this before on a television special, where the body of a deceased man was rigged with grenades that would detonate when his vest was removed, destroying the evidence and igniting the remains." he said.

"But under normal circumstances something like this couldn't have been achieved. Thus your assumption of the body being rigged is more far-fetched than someone rigging a doll or a manikin for the same purpose. It makes no sense at how you would arrive at that conclusion without previous knowledge of it." Ryouko said, looking at Yuno.

"I can't believe this. I am giving you the proof, and I am telling you the facts. I didn't commit this murder, I have no reason to. Hurting my friends like this, are you insane? And like I said before, where would I get the explosives necessary for this?" he asked.

"I can shed some light on that. Between the hours of ten o'clock and seven o'clock this morning, Monokuma was inactive. I had come to check on the one in the gymnasium every hour until the daytime announcement, but at around four am, the Monokuma in the gym had been torn apart. It is my knowledge that every Monokuma comes equipped with an explosive, as Mondo proved to us on our first day here, Monokuma can you confirm?" Kyoko asked.

"I can indeed confirm that every lovable Headmaster Monokuma does indeed come equipped with a high grade explosive, for your entertainment." the bear replied sadistically.

"Meaning, this is the source of the bomb that set the body on fire...even if it had been enough to tear a hole in the ground and destroy the body, surely you could have made it so it only started a fire when moved." Kyoko said.

"Are you seriously blaming your little brother for this? For a crime I didn't commit?" Yuno asked.

"You didn't hesitate to blame me, so why shouldn't I blame you. The facts point toward you Yuno, and I'm sorry it has come to this." she said.

"Wait...something doesn't add up here. The Truth bullets that have been found corresponds to the evidence we all collected right?" Leon asked, looking at his handbook.

"Yeah, I'm sure you would have figured that out by now, insolent fool." Byakuya said, muttering the insult under his breath.

"Well, if that's true, then what happened to the missing chicken? There were six of them last time I saw them, and now there are five. There was also a bloody hatchet in the shed." he said.

"I noticed this as well. The top half of the body was wet, consistent with Taeko, Byakuya and Yuno putting the flames out, but there was fresh blood around the knife. Also, I didn't seem to notice any blood pooled around the body, especially if that was a stab to the center of the chest." Ryouko said, pointing that part out.

"Meaning what, exactly?" Hina said.

"Meaning that there is something that isn't adding up here. Makoto, when you saw this person early this morning, what was their body shape? Did they have anything specific you remember?" Ryouko asked.

"Um...aside from the mask and the lab coat, nothing comes up. Well...their fingers were decorated with fake nails, bright red in color. And she had a very noticeable bump on their chest." he said.

"Hmm, so it must have been a woman around our age, with a cup size of at least Double D or bigger, that puts several of the girls on the spotlight already." Ryouko said.

"Alright then, what does breast size have to do with this?" Leon asked.

"The size isn't consistent with what Makoto described. The body on the fifth floor was indeed that of a young woman, but her breast size was around a B cup, only one girl here has that breast size, Taeko Yasuhiro, but she clearly was with you all night right Leon?" Ryouko asked.

"Uh...yes she was." he replied.

"Idiot, don't toss my breast size into the mix. I don't need the world knowing how big my tits are." She said.

"You mean how small right?" Byakuya asked, earning a heated glare from the Ultimate Gambler.

"Come on man. That was in bad taste." Makoto added.

"But you have to admit that Ryouko brings up an excellent point. If the person that indeed attacked Makoto had double d breasts, then clearly the person who is in the Botanical Garden and his attacker are two different people. Meaning, Ryouko, Asahina and Kyoko would be the likely candidates, I have personally seen Sayaka's breasts and can safely say that they are a C cup." Yuno said, wiggling his brows. Sayaka blushed, her face contorted into anger.

"Jeez, have you come up with a decision yet? You already decided on Yuno being the culprit, so cast your votes and put him on ice." Monokuma said.

"Hold on, we haven't talked about everything yet. Now that this has come to the light, we can easily deduce who it was that attacked Makoto. Clearly it was a young woman, but it wasn't Mukuro Ikusaba, so that means whoever did her in was another person we didn't know about." Kyoko said.

"Another hidden student? There are only Eighteen stands, not nineteen. Learn to count sister." Yuno said.

"I never said there was another hidden student, but something doesn't add up. Clearly with the introduction of Ryouko into the game, the mastermind wanted to use her as a scapegoat of sorts. That means it's possible that the killer this time around was told to kill Ryouko and blame Makoto for it. But since she had gone missing during the night, a fact that no one brought up, they had to do something else. So instead of killing Ryouko they turned to Makoto and attempted to kill him, hoping that he would bleed out during the night, sadly he didn't."

"Sadly? It makes it seem as if you expected me to die." Makoto said.

"Thank your incredible luck. If that knife had gone a few inches in any direction, surely wouldn't be standing here, and a cardboard stand with your picture would be in your place." she said.

"So are we back on square one? This all getting so confusing." Hina said, tugging at her jacket.

"Lets go back to the body. Kyoko is right about there being no blood around the body, meaning whoever killed Ikusaba must have planned this. They could have taken the coat off, did her in, used the tarp to catch the blood and then gotten rid of it, redressing the corpse, and then using the chicken blood to soak the area. The person would have to be good and dead by that point, meaning no blood flow. They'd have to wait until the blood coagulated, which could take hours." Yuno said.

"Hours indeed, which is why would were standing post in the Dojo. You said you had been there since six o'clock, but there is no proof that you we're there for an earlier time. Sayaka would have said something about you being with her, yet she hasn't said a word. This trial is merely a formality at this point." Byakuya said.

"You don't understand anything at all. I wouldn't kill anyone damn it...I've been solving this mystery since day one, why would I kill someone after everything that's happened?" he asked.

"For the reason the same reason any of us would kill another person, because our loved ones were on the line. It makes it quite obvious that the killer used Sayaka against you. Utter a single word, and she gets iced, simple as that." the heir said. Yuno's breath hitched a bit, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"The reaction is obvious. You murdered so you could save your beloved...and they said puppy love is a wonderful feeling. Perhaps it wouldn't have come to this if you waited until leaving this place to pursue her heart." the blond said.

"That's not it at all. Why can't you believe me, I would never kill anyone, I have no reason too kill anyone, no motive what so ever." he cried loudly, his eyes turning lavender for a split second before going back to red.

"So, that means he truly did do it." Taeko muttered, unable to understand what was happening.

"No...no he didn't do it. What reason would he have to kill Ikusaba? And would he really be able too? Looking back on it, Mukuro Ikusaba is the Ultimate Soldier, a person with military training. Could a person like Yuno truly be able to kill her? Now that I think about it, this whole trial seems off." Makoto said.

"Nonsense, nothing is off. If you've all finished deliberating, then please cast your votes." Monokuma said.

"We aren't done yet. Let Makoto speak!" Mikan snapped, giving a smile to her boyfriend.

"Like I was saying before, Mukuro Ikusaba has military training, if she was indeed hiding within the academy, why would she come out now of all times? And why would she let herself get caught? What purpose would that solve? I have reason to believe that Mukuro Ikusaba isn't even dead." Makoto said.

"Are you stupid? Mukuro Ikusaba is dead as a door nail, cold and stiff never coming back. She is without a doubt 100% dead. So get on with the voting already?" Monokuma said, anger coursing through him.

"We aren't voting until we reach a proper verdict. Makoto is right, this trial has seemed off since the beginning. Forcing us to hold a trial for a person we never even met, the fact that there isn't evidence of Makoto's attack, only his account of it, and the fact that Ikusaba's body doesn't match that of Makoto's attacker. That and the fact that all of this was set up with the obvious goal of framing Yuno, a person who has done nothing to but help us solve every case thus far." Taeko said.

"He got there in time to save Taeko from certain death, found out what truly happened to Taka and Touko and even helped us all realize Bryce was an _Ultimate_ _Despair_ , I say the mastermind is in a corner, and this trial is nothing but a final gambit, to get rid of one of the three big players this game has." Byakuya said, glaring at the bear.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. That's it, times up and the debate is over. It's time to cast your votes." Monokuma cried.

"But we aren't done discussing anything." Leon cried.

"I have a final thing to say. Who's the person who has the least amount of evidence? Who's the person who witnessed Mukuro Ikusaba? Who's the person that used their luck to cheat death? That's right, it's Makoto. He's the one who set it all up, they threatened him with the death of Mikan and everyone else if he didn't kill the Eighteenth Student hidden in Hope's Peak Academy." Yuno said.

"What...you can't be serious." Makoto said.

"That does make a lot of sense...he was the only one who saw her." Ryouko said.

"But it isn't me. I would never do that."

"We have to vote, someone is going to die, better him than me." Byakuya said, though his expression said other wise.

"Please, you're making a mistake, stop!" Makoto cried, sadly the sound of the bells dinging deafened his plea, as the Slot machine stopped on his face.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Makoto Naegi was found Guilty of killing Mukuro Ikusaba. That was an excellent defense, but it didn't help ya in the end my friend. Looks like your lucks run out! _Upupupupupu_!" Monokuma said. Yuno smirked to himself, suddenly feeling a dull throb in his head. Every seemed to stop as the world around him faded to black.

 _ **(Class Trial End: All Rise)**_

xxx

" **I am the one that will be in control now. You're friend is no longer going to be alive!"**

" _Makoto didn't do anything. None of us did anything, I didn't send him the note, I didn't stab him and I didn't kill Mukuro. You were just setting yourself up as a proverbial scapegoat, so that my sister or Makoto could die and this game could continue."_

" **Silence! The deed is done, and you should now cease to exist."**

Yuno could feel his very existence start to fade. All around him, he could see the courtyard of Hope's Peak Academy, the red skies gained a bit of color, and the building looked more decrepit. He could see the corpses of his dead friends, the entire class just watching him, lifeless and expressionless.

He looked back up, seeing the vibrant crimson eyes of Hisashi Kirigiri, the red sword still plunged in his chest. He grit his teeth, weakly grabbing the blade. His hand glowed a bright blue, seemingly dimming the red light. The sword started to crack.

" _I will not become a memory. I won't let you take control of my body!"_

The sword exploded into a million pieces, sending Hisashi flying back. Yuno quickly stood up, grabbing his discarded sword, now glowing in a mixture of white and blue. His entire body seemed to radiate that color, as the area around him became vibrant and full of life.

He stabbed the sword into the ground, making the light spread through the area, while the skies were read and the academy destroyed, his friends had regained their natural look, as if coming back to life. He gave them as smile, and walked toward the fallen attacker.

" _Hisashi Kirigiri, Yunosuke Nagahama, it doesn't matter what we call ourselves. You can't deny the fact that you fell into despair, and are trying to plunge those around you into it. We lost our mother, the world around us is destroyed, and our friends are dead. But just because all of that happened doesn't mean it's time to close up shop and give up. Because through every single death that I faced in that academy, a sliver of hope was still there. Each of those slivers came together and became this sword. The sword that I'll use to fight despair."_

" **Shut up! You are nothing but a memory, and I'll purge you from my body!"** Hisashi howled, raising his broken sword. Yuno raced forward, slicing his hand clean off. The young man howled in pain, looking at his now severed hand. Yuno placed the sword to his neck.

" **What...what is this? Why does it hurt?"** he howled in pain.

" _It hurts because this is the light of hope. It's a radiance that you don't understand, because you gave up on hope a long time ago. But through perseverance, I was able to find my hope. My friends, they give me that hope. The hope that will beat despair. We aren't alone, all of us are here to help. When we feel despair, we don't just succumb to it. We search for the warmth of hope, in the hands of the person next to us. In the warmth of that hand, of that person, we become united in a chain that creates an even brighter hope."_ Yuno replied.

" **Nonsense, this is nonsense. None of this makes sense!"**

" _It doesn't have to make sense for you to understand it. Hope isn't something you understand, it's something that you have to feel."_

" _That's right Yuno, give him hell."_ Junko shouted, her hands cupped around her mouth. The Fashionista was grinning widely, giving him a peace sign.

" _You better not fucking die here, or I will fucking haunt your ass for all eternity."_ howled Mondo, revving the engine of his motorcycle.

" _We are with you too, e-even if you aren't my master!"_ Touko added, blushing a bit at the thought of Byakuya.

" _Stand Tall and Proud Classmate Yuno, because you have succeeded in freeing yourself of despair. Now you can face the world a changed man!"_ Kiyotaka Ishimaru cried out, a smile on his face.

" _We'll be able to leave together. Our hope was bestowed upon your hands, and our faith in you took form. We will always be with you!"_ Chihiro Fujisaki said, tugging at her skirt.

" _You gave me hope, every single day of my life, that I would be able to see her again. I will, I will be able to be with my loved one and we will have a happy life together."_ Nicholas McFay said, grinning at Yuno with the same goofy expression he normally wore.

" _I can certainly say the same. Even though I did several things that were unsavory, and I should have betrayed your trust, you were still loyal to me, even in death. We will remain together, and fight, until the very end."_ Sakura Ogami added, her towering form firm and ready to fight.

" _Pfft, even though you piss me off, I gotta say it's really pathetic to see you succumb to this shit. I was beginning to think you wouldn't ever snap out of it. Yet here you are, exceeding my expectations."_ Bryce Kotenok said, arms crossed.

Hisashi stood up, backing away from Yuno. He rose his sword high into the air, the radiating hope of his fallen friends illuminating the area, like a florescent stadium light.

" _No matter how far you run, or how hard you try to hide, you will never be able to escape us."_ Yuno said.

One by one, his friends turned into beams of light, each flying straight toward the sword, making it increase in size. Their hope was radiating straight from the blade, flowing straight into Yuno's body. A pair of beautiful angel wings sprouted from his back, several feathers falling around him.

" _My name is Yunosuke Kirigiri. I will not accept nor deny your existence, instead, I will turn it into hope, a radiating hope that will set us free."_

Yuno jumped forward, shooting off like a rocket on a launch pad, flying straight at the fleeing Hisashi. He pulled his sword back, flying right past him and slicing him in half. Hisashi screamed in pain as the radiance over took him, making him burst into nothing but glowing white particles.

" _You will become my hope. The hope that will get us out of this academy, that is my promise to you and to this desolate world."_ Yuno said, slamming his sword into the ground. The light burst from the blade, bathing the entire area with nothing but pure golden light.

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno shook his head, the crimson aura finally leaving his eyes. He looked at his hands, unable to shake off what had happened inside his mind. He nodded to himself, knowing what he had to do.

"Since Makoto Naegi was found guilty, it's punishment time." Monokuma cried, slamming his gavel onto the red button.

"NOOOO!" Makoto cried, reaching for the button.

" **Makoto Naegi was found Guilty. Preparing Execution."**

Everyone watched with baited breath as Makoto would soon be dragged to his execution. Just as the chains came out of the back wall to drag him to his ill-fated death, a ray of hope seemed to shine for him. Yuno had raced for where he stood, pushing him out of the way as the chains wrapped around his body. With one final look to them, he uttered a few simple words.

"I bestow my hope onto you."

With that, he was dragged out of the room, much to everyone's shock. He was dragged through the hallways of the academy as the execution machine started up. Opening his eyes, Yuno found himself strapped to a chair. All around him were various school desks, the room looked like it was built inside a steel mill of sorts. He was sitting behind a desk, several notebooks placed on it, along with a few writing utensils. Monokuma appeared before him, standing on a teacher's desk with a black board behind him.

" **Detention"**

Monokuma tapped the board with his pointing stick, pointing to the process of fertilization. A loud slamming sound being heard made Yuno glance back, seeing the large trash compactor behind him. He gulped, looking back at the board. With each slam, he was getting closer, he looked back, his heart racing as he came closer to his death.

He looked back, being no less than three meters away from it, the area around his forehead and face turning a shade of purple, as a fear started to set in, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting for it to end.

Suddenly, the Monokuma directing the machine fizzled out of existence, being replaced by the face of Alter Ego.

The machine stopped all together, the large doors behind Yuno opened up, dumping him into a trash chute. He closed his eyes, trying not to focus on his decent to the basement. If the machine didn't kill him, this fall certainly would.

" _I'm sorry everyone, but I had to do this. Makoto will be your hope now, seeing as I no longer will be."_

Everyone looked on in shock, watching as the machine stopped altogether. Even Monokuma was shocked at the turn of events.

"What the hell? I've been had, that machine was supposed to kill him, Chihiro's twerpy AI hacked my system when it made it onto the network!" he exclaimed loudly, glaring at the trash compactor.

"Damn it. I knew this trial was a set up." Makoto muttered, looking at the execution machine.

"Everything was set up to look like a real trial, the threat of death was real, he played us all for fools." Byakuya said, slamming his fist against the fence.

"Yuno could have survived this, he could have landed safely down there. His eyes were violet, he's not suffering from Despair anymore." Sayaka said, her lip quivering as she spoke.

"Heh, the machine may have not killed him, but maybe I planned this. His execution is being condemned to the trash room until he dies of starvation. It'll give him a lot to think about what happens when he wants to save his friends, your off the hook this time Makoto, but any false moves and I will have you executed. _Upupupupupu_!" the bear said, disappearing from sight.

With nothing else to do, the remaining students exited the execution room, heading back toward the elevator. Sayaka remained ingrained in place, looking at the trash chute with a look of longing on her face. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking back to see Kyoko's smiling face.

"He's still alive, and I'll bring him back to you. I promise." she said quietly.

"I trust that you will, thank you Kyoko." she said.

The purple haired girl nodded, and guided her back toward the elevator. She noticed the plastic ring on her finger, a smirk making it's way onto her face.

"Don't tell me the idiot proposed to you and gave you that dinky little ring." she said.

"He did, it's not a real ring, but it means the world to me." she said, holding it tightly against her chest.

Kyoko reached behind her neck, unclasping the necklace she had hidden underneath her shirt. Almost no one saw this, nor knew she even had it. It was a sterling silver necklace, with a heart shaped locket on it. She remembered it being a gift from her mother, shortly before she had passed away. Her father had been the one to give it to her when she got back to the academy. She held it out to the idol, who looked at it oddly.

"Consider it an engagement present, from your future sister-in-law." she said. Sayaka took it into her hand, blushing a bit.

"Thanks, it means the world to me...sis." she said, giving her a wink.

"D-don't start with that yet. We have to get you two married first, let's just focus on making it out of here alive first." she said firmly, stepping into the elevator, the pregnant silence was a cause for concern, but after everything that had just happened, no one wanted to talk.

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno groaned, eyes slowly opening as he was greeted with nothing but darkness. The smell of rotting trash and worn plastic assaulted his nose, making him gag a bit. He sat up, checking himself over for injury. He saw that he had landed on top of a pile of trash bags, his clothes we're covered in nothing but trash.

Shaking himself clean, he stood up, struggling to find his footing, until he was on solid ground. He looked around, but saw that he was completely and utterly alone. No surveillance cameras were installed, and no monitor either. He sighed, looking up at where he had dropped from.

"I deserve this...I allowed Monokuma to play me, to control my fragile mind and force me to play his game, and I almost got Makoto killed for it." he muttered, looking at the ground. She shook his head, a bit of trash falling out of his hair.

"But that's all in the past. I have to look forward, and keep my hopes up, I didn't defeat Hisashi for nothing after all." he said, looking around. Piles upon piles of trash had littered the area, as if it had been several years since it had been cleaned out.

Just how long had it truly been? Those glimpses into his memories showed him a horrific world, but he refused to believe that's what had happened. He didn't have all the pieces yet, so he couldn't build the picture. So until then, he would keep seeing the world as he had on the first day he arrived there. Bright sunlight, the soft breeze and beautiful blue skies.

That was hope, that was the outside world he longed to see. Noticing some stairs out of the corner of his eye, he moved toward them, seeing the large oak door. He ran toward it, pushing it hard, but it didn't budge a single inch. It was sealed up tight, and only a key would open it. Knowing Monokuma, he would definitely make it hard for him to escape. He looked up at the chute, anger flowing through him.

"If you think you can keep me down here forever, you are sorely mistaken!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the emptiness of the chamber.

He could almost hear the bear's sadistic laughter. His stomach grumbled, and he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. He grabbed the nearest trash bag and tore it open, digging inside.

"Ew, everything in here is rotting." he muttered dryly, pulling out an apple core.

He tossed it aside, pulling out some moldy pizza and a banana that was way over ripe. He tossed them aside, pulling out a bottle of water, which thankfully was half full. He looked at it, seeing that it was still good. Opening the bottle, he used his shirt to wipe the lip of it before taking a drink.

"This will do for now. I'll need to save my energy for getting out of here. That chute leads to the trash compacter, so the Trial Court room must have been built in the same room, that means there has to be a ladder back up there somewhere." he muttered to himself.

He walked over to the couch that had been dumped there, pulling on the spring that was sticking through it. He sighed, grabbing a piece of cardboard and laying it on the ground. He lay down on it, placing his arm behind his head. His eyes slowly closed as he was lulled into a dreamless sleep.

A few hours later, he heard a shout followed but a loud thump. Yuno sat up, looking around the room as he saw a couple bags starting to move. He rapidly stood up, holding his hands up.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Yeah, don't help me or anything!" the voice said.

On further inspection, he saw that the person who had fallen into the trash bags had been his sister Kyoko. He ran over to her side, taking the trash bags out from around her.

"Sis, what are you doing here?" he asked, holding his hand out.

"I kinda owed it to you, besides your fiancee would be very sad if you died down here." she said.

"Still, risking your life to save mine. I don't deserve your kindness, I tried throwing you under the bus, and I almost got Makoto killed." he said, looking away.

"Hisashi, it's alright. No one puts the blame on you for what happened up there. You were told to kill someone or Sayaka would be killed off, Alter Ego told me everything." She said, holding the phone up to him, it was currently off, most likely dead.

"So, she did tell you everything. Does that mean she also got into the network?" he asked.

"Indeed, she was the one who stopped your execution. Now hurry up and eat, we need to get you out of here." she said, holding out a tote bag. He took it from her hand, a smile on his face.

"Thanks, could you maybe...call me Yuno from now on? I don't really want to be known as Hisashi, I sort of eradicated him while in my dream scape." he said.

She looked him over, and while a normal person would have thought he was crazy, she understood what he meant, and gave him a nod. She took a seat on the worn down couch, crossing her legs while staring at the back wall. Yuno didn't hesitate to eat the food she had brought him, opening one of the three bottles of water and drinking half of it in one go.

"Man, your appetite hasn't changed at all. We're you holding back from everyone because it was polite or is this how you ate in secret?" Kyoko joked, making him laugh.

"I think we both know the answer to that question...what...do you think happened to us? Why is it that we don't remember anything about this academy?"

"I don't know, but the fact is that Mukuro Ikusaba still thinks she's Ryouko Otonashi, she downright believes it and acts like an Analyst. Something tells me the mastermind did that on purpose, when they messed with our bodies." she said.

"If you knew Mukuro and Ryouko were one and the same, why didn't you say anything about it?" he asked.

"It would have been too early in the game. The mastermind was clearly banking on Ryouko being murdered, so he could reveal that we had in fact killed Mukuro. Ryouko was never part of the game, but if she we're killed, we would be tried for Mukuro Ikusaba's murder, not Ryouko's. Whoever did it would have been wrongfully executed, giving the mastermind's game more purpose." she said.

"So, they we're banking on me to kill Ryouko in my despair induced paranoia, and blame it on Makoto, but when I refused to do it and locked myself away in the dojo, the mastermind got desperate, and wrote that note to Makoto. I'm willing to bet it was them that stabbed him as well." he said.

"Which also proves my theory, about our father not being the mastermind of this game. I...found his whereabouts." she said.

"Really? Where is he? Is he alright or.." he stopped speaking when she shook her head, a few tears slipping from her eyes. It was honestly the most emotion he had seen from the Ultimate Detective the entire time he had been in this game.

"He's...I found his remains in a box. In a secret room on the second floor of the dormitories." she said. Yuno frowned, looking down at the ground below him. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"It's...it'll be alright. Dad had faith in the two of us, or else he wouldn't have made Makoto the headmaster right?" he asked.

"Yes. I found several things in that room, along with a computer that may hold several key details about what we are doing in this academy, but it was locked down, and the computer didn't have any ports for me to plug Alter Ego into." she said.

"That's our best source then. Did you find anything else up there?" he asked.

"The way into the third floor of the dormitories was completely blocked off, there is no way to get in there at all, so that means we're stuck on the second floor. Something tells me we wouldn't have found anything there either." she said. He nodded, finishing his impromptu meal, tossing the can aside. He stood up, stretching his sore limbs.

"Well, we might as well blow this joint. I take it you still have that Skeleton key right?" he asked. She nodded, pulling it out from underneath her glove. He grabbed the bag, which had the two extra bottles inside, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Okay then, by your lead."

The two of them walked toward the large door, stopping only for a second as Kyoko opened it with her key. They walked into the next room, finding a ladder. Yuno looked up, seeing it spanned several stories, he couldn't even see the top. He walked over it, stepping into the first rung. He started climbing up, focusing on not looking down, he heard his sister following after him.

"Yuno, did you see the Data Processing Room at all?" she asked.

"I did, all of this shit is being broadcast the world. What I want to know is why, and why is it that the authorities haven't shown up when he clearly admitted to there being actual murder." he said.

"That's something we'll have to figure out. For now, lets focus on the task at hand." she said.

For several minutes, they did nothing more than climb. Yuno had slipped at one point, almost falling to his death, thankfully being able to hang on tightly to the ladder rung. Kyoko scolded him and he hastily apologized, once again resuming their climb. After awhile, they had made it to a platform, and they decided to take a break there. He downed one of the last bottles, handing the other one to his sister.

"You know, our next move is going to be a difficult one. Monokuma might even have you executed." she said.

"It's alright. If that happens then it happens, I've already accepted my own death. All I have to do is put my hope in all of you to get out of here alive, of course, I'll just use Monokuma's show against him. It would make for poor ratings if he just out right executed me without a fair trial." he said. She smirked.

"There you go again, coming up with crazy ideas. Though this one might actually work." she said with a chuckle.

"I have a question, if it had been Makoto instead of me, would you still have saved him?" he asked.

"Of course I would have. He was about to get wrongfully executed. To be honest with you, that execution was for me, I saw a planner detailing every one of our executions. Yours was named, _The_ _Roman_ _Archery_ _Competition._ You would be strapped to a target board, and then an army of Monokuma's would fire arrows at you until you died, each arrow would have the picture of a person close to you attached to it, and the final one would be a picture of Sayaka, piercing your heart." she said.

"Oh...jeez it's a good thing I never killed any one, hehe." he said, not wanting to imagine the pain that would have brought him.

"There others were way worse. Sayaka was placed on stage, to sing until a large bear trap cut her head off, Makoto's had him being placed in a barrel, while they shoved swords through it, the worse one was Leon's, he was to be pelted with a million baseballs until he was killed." she said.

Yuno swallowed hard, not wanting to picture that. Every one of those executions, they we're made specifically for the person who committed them, in a weird messed up way, they we're modeled after their talents, and the irony that they brought with them. He really didn't want to be put through his, and now he was kinda glad he wasn't. He cleared his throat, tossing his empty bottle over the edge.

"We should...we should go." he said, moving onto the next set of rungs. It wasn't long before they started their long climb up. He kept looking up, counting each rung as he pulled himself up.

The feeling of excitement and freedom filled his mind, and he seemed to be radiating hope. Kyoko seemed to notice this too, and couldn't help but smile.

"Yuno, you've changed a lot you know. I don't think you deserve to be known as the Ultimate Private Investigator, nor the Ultimate Archer anymore. I think, the title of _Ultimate_ _Hope_ suits you the best." she said.

"No...I don't deserve that title. I fell into despair, and allowed so many bad things to happen while I wasn't in my right mind. I lost the right to bear that title. Besides, something like that, it belongs to Makoto, it always did, after all he was always inspiring hope in us, being optimistic even in the worst times. It was the same while we were in school, now that I recall it." he said.

"I still think you deserve that title, after all you overcame despair with your own hope. You'll always be known as the Ultimate Hope. At least to me." she said, earning a smile from her brother.

He gasped as he saw the large iron door above him. He hurried his pace, making sure not to take a misstep. He was almost out, and it was almost time for the final battle of Hope and Despair. As he pushed the door open, he saw the bright lights of the Incinerator room, and he was filled with hope.

" _Time has run out for you Monokuma. We'll find the person pulling your strings, and we'll send you into the pits of hell for what you've done. You said you wanted nothing but our despair? Well get ready, because the only one feeling despair will be you!"_

 _ **Fighting for Despair Chapter 5 End**_

 _ **Remaining Students 11**_

 _ **Omake:**_

"Damn it, I knew this trial was a set up. All of the evidence against Yuno had been fabricated." Byakuya said, glaring at the shudder in the cafeteria. All around him sat the remaining survivors, Kyoko having left to rescue her brother.

"It's alright man, none of us expected this outcome. We should have figured something was wrong when we were thrown into an investigation with little warning." Leon said.

"The fact that we were pushed to make a vote means that Monokuma isn't following the rules anymore. What that means for us, well...I think it should be clear soon." Taeko muttered.

"Guys, I don't know about you but...isn't it a little fishy that none of us remember anything about our school lives? There was always that feeling of longing when I looked at all of you. I know it in my heart that we've met before. But it all seemed like we had all just met." Sayaka said.

"No doubt another one of the mastermind's ploys. Damn that headmaster, how could he allow this?" Leon snapped angrily.

"It isn't him Leon. The headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, remember that person is me." Makoto said, earning a curious look from Byakuya.

"Oh really, do explain."

"Kyoko told me that she found this letter, written by the previous headmaster. He said that I was the hope of the future, that I would be the one to lead everyone to a brighter hope. He named me headmaster because of that very reason, but Yuno ended up burning it, most likely because of his despair." Makoto said.

"I can vouch for that, I was there when Taeko read it." Mikan said, from her spot next to Makoto, their hands joined together.

"Hmm, maybe we should all go back to the Data Processing Room and bust down that door we couldn't open. It's not as if the rules mean anything, seeing as someone was wrongfully voted and none of us are dead." Hina said.

"I agree with that idea. The mastermind is in a corner, it is best if we attack right now." Ryouko said firmly.

"No...we can't attack just yet. Let us wait for Kyoko and Yuno to return. From now on, all ten of us move as a unit, we have each others backs now. We can't let Monokuma win." Byakuya said.

"Wow, look at you go. Does that mean you don't think of us as lowly worms anymore?" Sayaka asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Oh please sweetheart, I loathe every single one of you. I just happen to loathe the bear more than you, and if it assures my survival, then I will be willing to form an alliance with all of you." he said.

"Please, just admit that you see us as friends already, we don't mind. Even if you are a bit of a prick, we are all a big family!" Leon said cheerfully. Byakuya scoffed, though he had a ghost of a smile across his lips.

"Alright then, once they get here, we will make our plan of action. It's best if we stick together in case they try to pull a fast one on all of us." Ryouko said.

"She's right. We can't lose hope just yet guys, not when we're this close." Makoto added.

With that, the remaining members of Class 78 began planning for the final battle. No longer would they be forced to commit murder by Monokuma, no longer would they be treated as nothing but play things by the mastermind, and no longer would they be deprived of freedom. The final battle was nigh, and they would be ready for it, no way we're they going to lose another life to this goddamn academy, not on his watch.


	30. To Towa City or Bust! (Hiyoko Side)

**A/N: Well, here we go again everyone. This is going to be a Hiyoko Side story chapter, as the others it will be mostly taking place from her point of view, though it centered mostly around Daisuke, since He did just get released. We get to see his reactions to the Remnants of Hope as well as some infighting from the Future Foundation, as well as a surprised character at the end, so look forward to it.**

 **I haven't been able to see any review's still. It's quite annoying, but thanks to my friend G King, I was able to find out that it lasts between five to seven days, so I'll be able to read them soon and answer any questions you may have, so for now you may keep leaving them as you wish. We have also finally arrived on the final week of Danganronpa 3, and I can honestly say, it's been a ride, but I am ready for it to end, whether it ends how I want it to or not, I will be satisfied with it. I just want to see the Remnants of Despair goddamn it, I want to see them all wake up again! But anyway, all of the answers will be revealed on Thursday, in Danganronpa Kibou-Hen, the final episode. After that, we'll have to wait until New Danganronpa V3 comes out. When it does, I'll most likely be streaming it onto Twitch, so if you want to hear my reactions, whenever it is it comes out, I'll provide a link to the profile, I'm sure you all want to hear me scream like a bitch when someone dies. I wanted to do a road to V3 thing and stream Trigger Happy Havoc and Super Danganronpa 2, but I haven't finished them yet, and I have to say, I am pretty shit at the class trials, even when all the answers are in my face, and I know everything. Whatever the case, it's going to be a Despair Inducing Ride to Hell, and It's going to be great.**

 **We have finally reached the hump, the climax of the Story, Chapter 6. This story will have to main acts, Act 1, which will most likely be the investigation throughout the entire academy, and Act 2, which will be the final class trial. Act's 3 and 4 will be taking place after the survivors leave the academy. I might also do an alternate ending, where Naegi gets killed off, and Yuno didn't make it in time, and then that ends with several people either committing suicide or giving up on the outside world. I'm sure Mikan would be distraught at losing Makoto. That is something I might do, i haven't decided yet. As for this chapter, consider it a finale to Hiyoko's side story, at least until the sequel begins, and you'll be able to see how they capture the first Remnant of Despair. I hope you enjoyed it, and had a change of heart for Hiyoko, if you hated her, and if you still hate her, well I can't really stop you now can I?**

 **I hope you all like it. This is the final stretch you guys, the answers will be revealed soon...**

 **Update: 7/1/17: Hiyoko Side Act 5 has been edited and re uploaded...this includes various continuity and grammatical fixes as well as some added things...**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Hiyoko Side

Act 5

Towa City

A few days had passed since the Remnants of Hope had been successful in recovering Daisuke Del Rio from their midst, but not without loosing several members of their organization. They had held a funeral for all of the lives they had lost, and rapidly gone back to work. It had taken Daisuke awhile to get used to everything, but Sonia had been willing to show him the ropes. He was surprised to see she had been leading this organization for close to a year now, without any issues. Hiyoko had admitted that it was partly due to Musashi Togami and her continued patronage. The young Accountant had been managing her funds very closely, and supplying to both The Future Foundation and the Remnants of Hope.

After they had gotten back, the first thing that the young story teller did was take a nice hot shower. Being stuck in a pod for six months straight made you a bit of a clean freak. He also noticed his hair had grown down to his shoulders during that time, and had been tempted to cut it, if it wasn't for Hiyoko stopping him. They had a lot of time together, much to Sonia's dismay, as they had been gone for quite awhile, so she couldn't speak to her about several things that had been on the forefront of her mind.

Now, he had gotten through all of the Class trials from the School Life of Mutual Killing, having watched Bryce's execution a number of times, since Hiyoko apparently found it funny every time, he had witnessed all of the wicked things that Junko had done in the name of despair. He had read the news articles, speaking of his class and the atrocities they had committed, and the things the Future Foundation had done in the sake of hope. It was disgusting, and he had been close to falling several times, if it wasn't for Hiyoko's intervention. He had just finished watching the Fifth Class trial, and had seen how Hisashi, or Yuno as he now wanted to be called, literally blamed his sister and Makoto Naegi for killing Mukuro Ikusaba. At least in the end, the Ultimate Private Investigator had regained his hope and stopped Makoto's execution, being executed in his place, though by seeing Monokuma's expression, something had gone awry, so the young man wasn't out for the count yet.

The information of it all was still sinking in, as he sat alone on the Helipad, next to the Togami Enterprise Helicopter, which was being checked over by Akira. The Cybernetic Technician had been ecstatic upon seeing his return, but they hadn't had time to talk, as she was working on a machine that would erase their memories of meeting Junko Enoshima, something she called the Neo World Program. He was just sitting there, looking at the destruction that was taking place, watching as his friends and classmates just, continued to spread despair, in their own delusions, thinking it was hope they were spreading.

It was really hard on him. It had been three years since that fateful day, where he had lost one of the closest friends he had, and the world had gone to hell, and he had vowed to help everyone as much as he could. His eyes fell on the academy, he could hear the gunfire coming from the machine guns installed onto the building. It wouldn't be long now, Yuno and Kyoko, the rest of his friends...they would definitely find out the mystery behind Hope's Peak Academy, and they would defeat Junko, he knew they would, right now he couldn't focus on that, he had to focus on something else.

"Akira, do you have any information on any of the Remnants of Despair?" he asked, looking back at the technician.

"I have some information. I've been keeping tabs on the ones within the city, nothing on the ones currently elsewhere. Just a few weeks ago, Gundam Tanaka invaded Kyoto with his army of animals and took out one of our strongholds. He's been quiet ever since, we've gotten reports of Ibuki holding concerts all over the city, riling up her forces, and Fuyuhiko just returned from up north along with Peko, rumor has it they're going to use their forces to drive out the last few people left in hiding." Akira said.

"Damn it, going after those two is out of the question then. Hiyoko told me she fought Peko earlier this month and almost got defeated, if it wasn't for Rumi that is."

"Yeah, Rumi was severely injured. She barely made it back alive, and due to her injuries, I had to stop production of several projects in order to give her some emergency treatment. Damn it, if only Aiko Umesawa was still in town. She hasn't checked in with us in months." she said, her tone filled with worry. Daisuke narrowed his eyes, looking over the horizon. Several explosions rung through the area, and one of the weakened buildings started to collapse, the sound of twisted metal and breaking glass echoing throughout the otherwise quiet city.

"Alright, I need you to give me her last known location. I'll go see if I can find her." he said, standing up.

"Daisuke, you can't just leave. You just got back from six months of inactivity, you can't put your body through too much strain." Akira said.

"I can't just wait here with my fingers up my ass either. I've been nothing but a burden for six fucking months. Thanks to me, Hiyoko lost our child, and I want to make it up to her. If I can find Aiko, we can help Rumi, and we would have one of our top players back in the game. We need someone to be out there when Yuno and the others open up the academy." He said.

She sighed, turning back to the helicopter she was fixing. She dug her hand in her pocket, pulling out her eHandbook. Over the last year they had been active, she had been able to salvage several of the handbooks, doing her own upgrades to them. They were essential tools to the Remnants of Hope now, and kept them all connected. She tossed it to him, which he easily caught.

"That's all of the files detailing the whereabouts of Class 77 and the students of Class 79 that fell into Despair. It also has detailed maps and coordinates to every one of our strongholds. Don't do anything stupid, Hiyoko would kill me." she said, turning back to her work.

"Thanks Akira, you know something, you look really cute with all of those upgrades." he said, wiving her a wink. As soon as he disappeared through the door, her mechanical tendrils stiffened, and her face became a bright cherry red.

"He called me cute~" she muttered, earning a weird look from one of the pilots that had been in the helicopter. She cleared her throat, and continued her work. She couldn't afford to be distracted.

Daisuke made his way down the stairs, looking through the information on the handbook. All of his classmates had detailed files of them, along with a kill count, something that he was disgusted with. He couldn't say anything after all, he killed several people before he snapped out of his despair. Thinking back on it, maybe he should have told them all about what he did before the school was destroyed. Then again, talking to his already despair driven friends had been hard enough on it's own. It had all happened so fast after all. He stopped on Mahiru Koizumi's profile, reading everything over.

"Ultimate Photographer, turned into Ultimate Despair, currently in Novoselic with the Ultimate Impostor. Uploads photos of the people she's killed on a daily basis, kill count, believed to be in the hundred thousands. Jesus Christ." he muttered to himself.

Mahiru hadn't changed much in the time he hadn't seen her, other than growing a bit taller and bustier. She wore a short sleeved white shirt, with a black button down vest over it. She also wore a matching light green skirt, long black socks and boots. Her hair was down to her mid back, and usually grimy and greasy, something she would normally never allow, hell she had been adamant on keeping it short during the time they had known each other. She also had the latest camera on the market, which got upgraded with new technology by Kazuichi whenever he was with her. She honestly looked beautiful, but those crimson eyes bore into his very soul. He blinked a few times, holding back the tears.

" _You better take care of my little sister, now that you two are getting married. Hmm, maybe I can plan the reception, it's going to be awesome! And you better let me take pictures of your baby when it's born, or I will never forgive you!"_

"Don't worry Mahiru, I'm going to get you back." he muttered, flipping through to the next file, he glanced over Nagito's completely shocked to see his whereabouts we're currently unknown, that was something that scared and amused him. Finally, he got down to Kiriko Nishizawa's profile.

The girl hadn't changed that much since his time in the academy. She had stopped wearing her hair in her usual style, which had her making small round balls on the sides of her head. She now kept her hair in a side ponytail, with a glittering butterfly hair clip. Her light pink eyes were still as vibrant as he remembered, though there was a thick scar going over her left eye and over the right side of her face. She was also wearing her Hope's Peak Academy uniform, with a white lab coat over it. Looking at her picture, he remembered the time they had played Truth or Dare with his class, and he had been dared to kiss her. She wouldn't stop blushing for weeks after that, and Hiyoko had been jealous, though she wouldn't have admitted it at the time.

"Kiriko Nishizawa, Ex-Ultimate Physician, current age 19. Last known sighting, Towa city. Hmm, that name sounds familiar." he muttered to himself.

"What name sounds familiar?"

He looked to his left, seeing his fiancee Hiyoko leaning against the wall. She was dressed in a beautiful light pink kimono, similar to the one she wore in high school. It had been made from pure silk, and the detail on the flowers was really amazing. The long sleeves hung down past her wrist, almost touching the floor. She was wearing a crimson obi, tied behind her back into a perfect bow, and had a golden lace wrapped around it and tied in the front. He could see her white socks just below the bottom of the kimono, along with her wooden sandals.

Her hair was left down for once, and decorated with a Lotus flower ribbon, on the side of her head. He could also see just how much her body had changed in that time. She was curvier now, and had the body of a defined young woman. He could see her holding her purple fan, the one he had gotten for her all of those years ago.

"Towa city. Do you know where it is?" he asked.

"I do, it's a man made city off the cost of Japan, connected to Tokyo via large bridge. Apparently, it's a small city that thrived due to the tragedy. It's a place that wasn't heavily hit, so most of the people there remained living their normal lives. The Towa Group was responsible for creating a large air purifier that's kept the city relatively safe from the environment. You know Kazuichi is building machines to pollute the air all around us, and we're doing all we can to counteract that, but everyone is similarly doing the same.

Ultimate Despair is everywhere, in Europe, the Americas, Canada, Russia, the rest of Asia and Africa, it's world wide. We also have reason to believe the sister academies in America and Canada we're also turned into shelters, but we've lost all contact with them. Which is why we should focus on regaining Hope's Peak Academy. Once Junko is through with her sick little game, we can reestablish communications with them. Class 72 is working on keeping maritime commerce active, but the Ultimate Despair with oceanic related talents are making it hard on them." Hiyoko said firmly.

"Class 72? graduates?" he asked.

"Yes, all of the classes that graduated from Hope's Peak, the ones that didn't commit suicide or join the Ultimate Despair, banded together to keep the world running. They managed to keep several points of interest from falling, but our classmates we're able to bring them down. Just recently, Teruteru was able to poison several people using the Aquarium as a stronghold, by donating supplies to them filled with tainted food. These people didn't know what the Remnants of Despair looked like, so they trusted him wholeheartedly." she said.

"Damn it, Teru would never do that willingly. Everything he's done is because of her...even I succumed to it, and forced those kids to kill themselves. I even turned those three from Class 79 to despair. That fucking bitch Enoshima, she has to pay for this." Daisuke said, slamming his fist against the wall. Hiyoko put her hand over his shoulder, looking at his face.

"Your eyes are red." she said. He took a deep breath, focusing on something else. He looked at the woman before him, who was giving him a bright smile. She pressed her lips against his own, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I love you, don't focus on the bad things that are going on, focus on the good things that will come from this." she said, digging her hand into her sleeve, she pulled out a small pen like auto injector, stabbing it into his thigh. He cringed, not used to feeling the needle piercing his skin. His heart beat picked up for a bit, but he could feel himself calming down. Hiyoko nodded to herself, as soon as his eyes returned to their normal cerulean.

"Make sure you carry at least three of these on you alright? Just in case." she said, handing him three auto-injectors, which she had been storing in her sleeve. He placed them in his vest pocket, zipping it up shortly after.

"Give me a warning next time, that was the first time I used that." he said, rubbing his leg.

"Don't be a baby. These things are a godsend, Musashi was able to get Seiko Kimura to develop them for us. It had been a little hard at first, seeing as she didn't have anything to work with what would counteract despair, but she found out that people who eat sugar are naturally happier and full of hope, for as long as the sugar lasts. So she developed this medicine, where it had muscle relaxers and painkillers, as well as a small dosage of sugar and some blood thinners, so it would travel through the system faster. They've been keeping me and Sonia from falling into despair for the entirety of the tragedy, though we've both had our fallings from time to time." she admitted.

"How...how many people have you killed?" he asked, a frown on his face. She sighed, looking out the window. She walked over to it, placing her hand on it, trying not to focus on the giant Monokuma that was currently punching a building.

"6,493. 400 of them we're Reserve Course students on the day the academy fell, before I snapped out of it, I had lured several people to my father's studio and then detonated a bomb, killing them all. When Sonia found me, I was laying in a pile of body parts, covered in their blood, laughing at all of the destruction around me. Thankfully, she got to me before I had fallen too deep into it. Apparently, she was the one who issued a massive Napalm attack on her own citizens, in her own delusions, she asked the Ultimate Impostor to take her place, as she wanted to kill everyone who opposed her country and it's rule. She had her own parents killed."

"Jesus Christ...we're monsters." he muttered.

"No we aren't. Daisuke, we are victims, victims of her sick twisted game, we were innocent students, looking for our teacher. We should have ran, we should have ran the second we got into the Trial Court Room. But we didn't, we stood there and watched that video, we watched Chiaki get killed in front of our very eyes, and we did nothing but stand there like idiots." she said.

"We were brainwashed...it was Ryouta's animation style, it was him that created the video." he said.

"Another victim, don't you remember? The idea for the School Life of Mutual killing came from the book you wrote." she said.

"That's right...I can't blame him for it when what Class 78 and Mikan are facing is based on my story. I was the one that sent Mikan to Hope's Peak Academy to act as my mole after all." he said, rubbing his neck.

"Hey, it'll all be over soon. Once we get our friends on lockdown, we'll move on with phase two of the plan. Akira is working in something that will help all of us. Then we can all be one big happy family." she said, kissing his cheek. He took her hand in his own, squeezing it lightly.

"I...I miss my mom, and my sister. I can't believe Junko did that to my mothers. She killed them for now reason...and for Erika too...it must have been hard to see her older brother just...killing people, in the name of Hope." he said.

"Like I said, it'll be alright. Erika is part of our organization, but she's been helping some people in a colony that Takeshi found, don't worry, she has a full squad with her. She's learned quite a lot of self defense from Ezekiel." she said.

"Then, as long as she's fine, I'll be alright. Do you have any other information on Towa city? I plan on going there soon, so I can find Kiriko. We can't save Rumi without her."

"Even though I disagree with you risking your life, I suppose you aren't taking no for an answer. I'll talk to Sonia so she can give us all the information she has saved up on the city. But just remember, you have to work your way to General, just like I did. No bullshitting around." she said.

"What? I can't earn my way to the top by making out with my wife?" he asked firmly. She scoffed, looking away from him.

"We aren't married yet dork! Don't make me bop you." she said, shaking her fist. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to himself. She smiled brightly, placing her head on his chest, content with hearing his heartbeat.

"I missed this, just listening to your heart. It kept me so calm at night, when we were in the academy, especially during those times I was really stubborn. I was a really jealous person when I was younger."

"Yeah you we're...but it made you look cuter. Whenever it was that you blushed brightly, I couldn't help but stare at your face. I hate to admit it, but I fell in love with you the second I met you...I was just to much of a hard ass to admit it. I missed Sonia too, you know while I was in that coma, I dreamed that the three of us were living happily, with all of our friends." he said.

"Seems like a fleeting dream." She replied.

"We'll make it happen, even if we have to sacrifice everything we have left for it."

"I agree, after all we are together now. So lets make the most of it." she said softly.

"Wanna go fuck on Sonia's bed?" he asked, a smirk on his face. She gasped, looking right into his eyes.

"You heathen! Let's do it!" she said, a giggle escaping her lips.

"There won't be any fucking on my bed, not while I'm around." Sonia said, causing the two to scream sharply. Daisuke cleared his throat, pressing down his tie.

"S-Sonia...what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Clearly, stopping you from fornicating all over my black sheets. I came to deliver a mission, it seems we have reports of someone attacking high profile targets in Towa city. Kiriko hasn't checked in for awhile, and I heard you talking about mounting a rescue, this is your chance to earn your stripes Lieutenant." She said, a smile on her face.

"I'll take it right away. Are there any details I should be aware of?"

"Indeed, it seems it's one of the Remnants of Despair belonging to Class 79, Ricardo Vasquez, the Ex-Ultimate Ventriloquist. I want you to detain and contain him. I also require you to do a little research on the Towa Group. I have reason to believe the captives related to Class 78 and 79 are being held there, perhaps an unused motive for Junko's killing game. I want you to look into it, _only_. No bold rescue attempts if they are being held there. There is a heavy presence of Reserve Course students in the city, so we cannot engage." she said.

"Sweetheart, I don't even have a gun, how the hell would I engage?" Daisuke asked, crossing his arms.

"Don't give me shit Mister. You will be provided with weapons just like everyone else, and we all know you know how to use them. If you have a run in with any Remnants of Despair, you will be in your authority to restrain them in any way you see fit. Though I recommend shooting them with the Anesthetic ammunition that Akira developed." she replied.

"Sonia, do you think I can go with him? We work better as a team after all." Hiyoko said.

"I don't mind, but we have to be ready for when Hope's Peak Academy opens up. I got word from Musashi that they are going to pick up the survivors, and due to our bold attack on them, they have vowed revenge on the Remnants of Despair. Not only that, Yuno made it onto their hit list, so he'll be targeted by the Foundation where ever he goes." She said.

"Damn it, those fucks! I hate their very essence...we should to kill them." Hiyoko said, her eyes flashing a bright red. Daisuke reacted quickly, stabbing the auto-injector into her thigh. She yelped in pain, glaring at her fiancee.

"Ow, give me a warning next time." she cried.

"Sorry honey, you didn't give me a warning. And think about it this way, I didn't stab you in the ass." he said, giving her a wink. She pouted, crossing her arms.

"Stop messing around, now that you have been debriefed, I expect you to take on this mission. We have a lot of work ahead of us and it's best we start cracking down on it. Consider this the first of many missions involving the Remnants of Despair. Once you are ready, meet with Natsumi on the bottom floor, and she will take you to your transport vehicle." she said. Both of them nodded, sharing a single look before splitting up. It was time to go to work it seemed, and Daisuke was more than ready to handle the work load.

 _ **xxx**_

"Damn it. How the fuck did we let them get away? Was no one thinking when this was happening?" a young man shouted, slamming his fist against the table, the sound echoing throughout the room. All around him sat the rest of his employees, the Branch leaders of the Future Foundation. Kazuo Tengan looked up from the screen he had been watching, glancing at the Vice President.

"Kyosuke, it's alright...perhaps it was for the best. We don't have to waste resources keeping him alive, and we can use them to fight despair." Chisa said quietly, looking at her childhood friend.

"Pfft, of course you say that. Hiyoko Saionji, Sonia Nevermind, Daisuke Del Rio, those three were your students. Students learn the best from their teacher's after all." the branch leader of the Thirteen Division said, a smirk on her face.

She was a young woman of twenty three, with vibrant green hair reaching down past her waist. She was wearing a long black sleeved blazer, with a short sleeved shirt underneath. She was wearing a short black skirt, with dark panty hose and black heels. The light of the room reflected off of her glasses, shielding her vibrant green eyes. This young woman was known as Minerva Kasuragi Regendorf, she was a graduate of Morning Hope Academy, the sister academy to Hope's Peak, in the nation of America.

She was known as the Ultimate Botanist. Using her talents, she had been able to aid the Eleventh Division by restoring the plant life that was otherwise lost to the tragedy. She was also able to grow food in less than fertile areas, due to her talent she had been able to provide fruits and vegetables, grains and various other foods to the affected areas. She was almost never in the foundation headquarters as she was in the exterior maintaining each area she had restored, but this incident had been enough to bring her back to HQ. Chisa narrowed her eyes, glaring at the green haired woman.

"They may have been my students, but I am not responsible for what they are doing. It's not like I wanted them to do this you know, her hand was forced, the life of her loved one was threatened, and she reacted poorly." Chisa said.

"We should have killed Daisuke and Hiyoko when we had the chance. A filthy Ultimate Despairs like them doesn't deserve to live, not when Nick could have...not when he could have." Ruruka wasn't able to finish her comment, breaking down into tears. Sunosuke wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into a hug. His eyes held no emotion as he looked at his leader.

"I will get them back, I will track down and kill every single Ultimate Despair, starting with the Ultimate Story Teller." He said firmly.

"And then what? Are you gonna rob him of his life? All of us here know that those three managed to beat their despair. They are carriers and they need to stay alive." Musashi said firmly, from her spot next to Koichi Kizakura. The third division had been the closest division to gathering money, and the ex-Talent scout had been helping her manage the Togami funds quite well. He was also the only one who knew of her continued support to the Remnants of Hope.

"Carriers of Despair, such a thing doesn't exist. They are Ultimate Despair through and through, and they must be destroyed for their crimes against humanity." Kyosuke said, looking back at the screens behind him. His eyes focused on the survivors of Hope's Peak Academy, as they we're put through their Fifth Class Trial. He didn't know what was happening within the academy at this point, nothing had been said or done in three days, and it was honestly aggravating him.

"So, when those kids from Hope's Peak leave, are we gonna ride up to the doors and give them the twenty one round salute? Are we going to be aiming at them or at the sky? Because at this point, I have no idea what is going to happen." Kizakura said, taking a swig of his flask.

"We will recruit the survivors into the Foundation, simple as that. They are valuable assets. Assets that we can't afford to loose. Each of their talents will prove useful, especially that of Kyoko Kirigiri." Kyosuke said, focusing on the purple haired young woman on screen, currently shouting at her younger brother for accusing her of murder.

"What of Hisashi Kirigiri? His talents will prove useful as well, especially for the Fifth Division." Kizakura said, his Talent Scout instincts kicking to high gear.

He could still remember the day he found Hisashi, just wondering in a crime scene committed by Genocide Jack. He hadn't left a single stone unturned, and had gathered all of the clues necessary to close the case, except he was never able to figure out their identity. Honestly, his talents suited him better as a Detective then a Private Investigator, but he had been doing it since he was younger, and he knew he wasn't going to give up yet. However, he wasn't expecting the president's next reply.

"Hisashi Kirigiri will be executed along with the rest of the Ultimate Despair. Junko Enoshima tainted him with Despair, when she allowed Bryce to inject him with that formula. It matters not that he beat the Despair within him, he is now a carrier and subjected to the same rights as the others, none at all in fact. So as soon as he comes out of that academy, I will personally put a bullet in his skull." Kyosuke said firmly. All of the branch leader's looked at him wide eyed. Kizakura chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're funny, that's a funny joke." he said.

"This isn't a joke Kizakura, you of all people should know I don't joke around." the man replied firmly. The man's gaze darkened, as his blond hair shielded his eyes.

"Well, then you should know something. I made a promise to Jin the day the academy was getting renovated and boarded up. I promised that I would protect his children. I wasn't able to rescue Kotoko from this, and she's currently being held in who knows where. But Kyoko and Hisashi are his legacy, and I will not let any harm come to them. So, if you try anything against Hisashi, I will kill you myself." he said firmly, with all the seriousness in his voice.

While most thought this was brought upon by his drunken stupor, Musashi knew wholeheartedly that he was speaking the truth. Even Kazuo, who had been there the day that promised was forged, knew he wasn't playing around. Kyosuke chuckled, looking away from the screen at the ex-Talent Scout.

"Feel free to stop me, but know that if you prevent me from disposing of Hisashi Kirigiri, I will brand you as an Ultimate Despair, and hunt you down until the end of your days. You we're always a shitty scout for the Academy, I'm glad it was someone else that found me and not you." the man said.

"Hold on now, there isn't a need for us to start infighting. Perhaps we can allow Hisashi to live, at least until we run tests on him to see how he was able to over come his despair. This could aid Seiko in developing a cure for everyone affected." Musashi said.

"Miss Togami, this is a meeting between branch leaders, not between chiefs of staff. I will have to ask you to leave this meeting."

"Excuse me? I am a Togami, not just that I am the one who pays to keep this place running. It's best you don't piss me off Munakata, or I will withdraw my funds and let this hellhole plunge face first into the ground." the white haired young woman snapped angrily, standing from her seat.

"Your pretty threats do not scare me, after all I have been doing research into what the Togami Group has been doing with all of the funds left over. All of your siblings, save for your brother Byakuya are deceased, so no one is buying military grade weapons, food rations, vehicles and military helicopters under the Togami name. No one is purchasing raw materials and construction equipment, and no one is paying several of the worlds best Scientists and Physicists for their expertise. So, if that's the case than where are all of those funds going?" the white haired man said.

He tossed several files onto the table, sliding right in front of the other members, one of them stopping in front of Musashi. It was open, and it was showing a picture of her, interacting with Sonia Nevermind and Hiyoko Saionji. There was also a picture of her interacting with most of her classmates, who were part of the Remnants of Hope. She grit her teeth, clenching her fists tightly.

"You have no right to threaten me, not when you are playing both sides of this war. Musashi Togami, you are under arrest for committing Treason against the foundation. Gozu, restrain her." Kyosuke said, snapping his fingers. The Ultimate Wrestler stood up, his Bull mask reflecting the light around him. Musashi grit her teeth, backing up until she hit the wall behind her.

"Now now, this isn't the way it has to be done. This young woman has in fact been helping her friends, but so what? The Remnants of Hope are all students of Hope's Peak Academy, survivors of the tragedy. Are we seriously going to arrest her for providing aid to those who were at Ground Zero?" Tengan asked, looking at the Vice President.

"You are growing soft old man. We cannot allow her to leave, not without getting information about everything the Remnants of Hope are planning, especially with all of the raw materials and cybernetic equipment she just approved."

Musashi shook her head, reaching behind her back, her eyes firmly on Kyosuke.

"I am not going to be a prisoner to this foundation. None of you have done anything to counteract Despair, just restoring areas that will benefit you. If you had the decency to actually help people, you would be developing ways to help those who are affected. Starting with my upperclassmen, Class 77 the victims that started it all. That's all we are, victims of the world, victims that we're used and manipulated by Junko Enoshima. Instead of sitting here twiddling are thumbs, looking at each other with glares, we should work together to unify the world and bring hope to every corner of the globe." she said firmly.

"I care not for your drabble. You are under arrest, so do not make it harder on yourself." Kyosuke said. The young woman sighed.

"Well, it seems you've forced my hand." she replied, pulling out a device that looked like a bull horn. Gozu jumped at her, just as she fired a concentrated blast at him. It struck him in the chest, and he let out a pained shout, landing on the floor. Electricity coursed through his body.

"I..can't move. I've been paralyzed!" he cried. She backed toward the door, the bullhorn still in her grasp.

"Neat huh? This is a new weapon developed by the Togami Group. It's an Anti-Monokuma hacking gun. It messes not only with the Monokuma's terrorizing the world, but it can also have effects on people. If you don't want to become a shuddering mess or a dancing idiot, you'll let me leave." she said.

"Kyosuke, we can't let her leave. She'll just join the Despair." Chisa cried out in worry.

"Sunosuke!" the man said firmly. The Ultimate Blacksmith sprung into action, throwing several knives at the young woman. She dodged them all, with practiced speed, and let out another shot, paralyzing the young man. She pressed the pink button on the side of the handle, the outer ring of the bullhorn turning a bright blue.

"I'm giving you all a fair warning, you have made enemies of the great Togami Group, and I assure you our influence will be felt by even you. Once my brother leaves the academy, I will ensure that you all feel our family's wrath!"

With that she let out a single round, destroying the monitors in the back of the room, throwing it into darkness, she spun on her heel, breaking the window behind her. Without a second thought, she leaped out of it, falling to the ground below. Kyosuke, Chisa and Juzo ran toward the broken window, expecting to see the young woman dead on the ground, only to see a sleek black helicopter with her family name on it, the young woman hanging onto a ladder, a smirk on her face. She gave him a wink, blowing a kiss at him before the chopper took off, in the direction of the city.

"Goddamn despair." he muttered under his breath.

"It wasn't your fault. Musashi was just helping her friends, it's not our fault she fell to despair."

"We will destroy them all, every single blasted member of despair will fall, starting with Daisuke Del Rio, Hiyoko Saionji and Sonia Nevermind!" he said, hugging the auburn haired woman. Neither him not Juzo noticed the smirk she was clearly trying to hide.

 _ **xxx**_

Daisuke and Hiyoko had finally arrived at Towa city. It had taken them awhile to get through the security checkpoint, but after showing them their Identification, everything had gone smoothly for them. The contingent had lead them to a secured area, away from all of the civilians who were trying to live their normal lives. He could see the large Air Purifier sitting at the very top of Towa Tower, filtering the area around it, and while most parts of Towa had blue skies, the horizon was still crimson.

It was odd seeing Hiyoko wearing a uniform, even if it was the one belonging to Hope's Peak. She had told him that Akira had developed these new versions of them, that we're virtually bulletproof. It was as if she had developed some sort of serum and sprayed it onto the clothes, but what had actually happened was simple. The clothes had been woven from a strong cloth like material, with a bulletproof outer lining and a bulletproof inner lining for added protection, and while it wouldn't protect you from a headshot, it would at least buy you time.

Seeing Hiyoko's smooth legs, coming from that short skirt, and those brown laced boots that gave her a couple extra inches, her tight blazer, it was driving him insane, luckily he was able to contain his poker face, as to not give himself away. The two had been lead down to a shut down Train station, where a service center had been set up, lead by the Military in the area. The soldier guiding him wished them well, and returned to his post. Daisuke took the lead, tightening his grip on his messenger bag.

That was another thing he had been glad for. He had received a new messenger bag, once again created by Akira. It was like something out of Jimmy Neutron. A bag that had the ability to store literally anything a person wanted. It was thick and durable, and could even be used as a weapon. It was a baby blue color, much like his had been while at the academy, emblazoned with the crest of Hope's Peak Academy, the defacto Remnants of Hope symbol, as it were. One man looked up from the monitor, giving them a smile.

"You two must be the agents from Lady Sonia's Resistance. My name is Palmer Barracks, first Lieutenant of the Novoselic Army." he said, giving them a salute.

"No way, you were part of Sonia's army?" Daisuke asked.

"Indeed, I supervised the young miss while she was getting her military training. I was one of the few survivors from her initial attack, and...I was a witness to his and her majesty, King and Queen Nevermind." the man said sadly.

"Right...I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure you and the King and Queen were very close." Daisuke said, Hiyoko just gave him a polite bow, still looking around the area.

"Would you catch us up on the situation? We haven't the time to be standing here making idle chitchat." she said, after a second. The man nodded, clearing his throat.

"Um, yes right. Well, I will now introduce you to our commanding officer. She is a survivor of this tragedy just as us, in fact, her eldest son is currently stuck within Hope's Peak Academy as we speak...follow me." he said, leading them deeper into the station. The two shared a look.

"Her eldest son is in the academy? Who could that be?" Hiyoko asked.

"It can't be the Kirigiri siblings, both their mothers died already. I didn't meet Leon's folks either, and Sayaka lives with her father and her little sister...who the hell could it be?" he muttered.

"Perhaps we should allow her to explain it to us then." the blonde replied.

Just before them, stood a tall woman, with long brown hair, reaching down to her mid back. She was wearing a long sleeved sweatshirt, along with a pair of worn down blue jeans and a pair of leather combat boots. She had a black vest over her torso, holding several weapons, along with the spare ammunition she would need. She seemed to be busy looking at something in front of her, a computer perhaps. The man whispered something into her ear, and she gave him a nod, swiftly turning around.

She had a beautiful face, with creamy white skin, her motherly expression was pronounced, and her bright brown eyes were filled with longing. Her pale lips turned into an upward smile.

"Hello, it's been awhile hasn't it?" she asked. Their shocked expressions seemed to tell the tale, as they just stood there gawking.

"Hmm, since this is a new encounter as survivors of the tragedy, I suppose I should reintroduce myself. My name is Kanade Naegi, it's great to see you, Daisuke, Hiyoko." she said happily.

 _ **Continued in Chapter 6: Goodbye Academy of Despair...**_


	31. Chapter 6(1) Goodbye Academy of Despair

**A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to another new chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. So, still can't see my reviews, but I'm sure that will be fixed soon...maybe...but anyway, we are at the beginning of the end now, chapter 6 Act 1 will feature the final investigation that will take place in this story. I can't believe it's already ending. Just a couple months ago, I started this story and now, it's nearing it's completion. I believe this will be the first series I will complete, and I am immensely proud of it. We will see a lot of emotions fly in this chapter, as well as a continuation of the last one. So, I hope you all enjoy it...**

 **Update: 7/2/17: Chapter 6 has been edited and re uploaded. This contains various grammar and continuity fixes as well as some added content. With the posting of these final two chapters, The School Life of Mutual Killing's revision is complete. I hope you all liked the new added content and I hope you all look forward to what's to come. I have big plans for the rest of this saga, and It's going to take a lot of work. I may take a break from it again, but I will return to it just as fast. After all, I wouldn't let myself feel despair at not completing this saga. Upupupupupu!**

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 6

Act 1

Goodbye Academy of Despair

The Kirigiri siblings walked swiftly through the hallways of Hope's Peak Academy, both of them sick and tired of Monokuma's crap. After spending the last day inside the trash room, the two of them had finally decided to end it all. Sneaking past everyone had been one thing, but avoiding all of the cameras had been another thing all together. Finally, the two of them walked into the gymnasium, slamming the doors open, the loud bang echoing through the empty room like a gunshot in a cave.

They walked toward the center of the room, their expressions calm and calculated, but their eyes held an intense flame that wasn't going to burn out anytime soon. Once they had gotten to the center of the gym, and stood right on the crest of the academy, the two of them glared right into cameras in the gym.

"Monokuma, it's time to end this game of yours!" Kyoko cried out.

Her normally emotionless tone, holding all of the anger she had been keeping pent up since the game begun. From behind the Podium, the monochrome bear jumped out, landing on the floor in front of them.

"Do my mine eyes deceive me? Or did you seriously rescue the blackened? That is a violation of the rules young lady, a crime punishable by death. To the execution chamber with you!" Monokuma cried, pointing at Yuno.

"There is nothing in the school regulations about stopping an execution, nor is there anything regarding saving a person from said execution. I just acted within the boundaries of the rules." Kyoko said firmly.

"Inconceivable. You cannot do this to me, execution is final! You can't a avoid a death that everyone voted for." he said.

"Oh, you mean the unfair and unjust death you were going to put Makoto through? Please, the only reason you put me through all of that was because you were running out of ideas. This sick game wasn't going your way, so you made me to set up the death of my sister and Makoto. But you weren't counting on my stubbornness were you?" Yuno asked, a smirk on his face.

"Grr, Hisashi come on, do something. Fall into despair already!" the bear cried.

"Sorry, but _Hisashi_ _Kirigiri_ no longer exists. We are one and the same, your despair isn't going to taint me ever again." Yuno said.

"Fine, if you want to pull a stunt like this, then I shall sentence Makoto Naegi to his execution, the one that should have taken place."

"Don't you think that's a little unfair? After all, you set us up, and if you keep using us as scapegoats, you'll loose your viewers." Kyoko said, placing a gloved hand under her chin.

"Wha-wha?" Monokuma cried out, tilting his head.

"She's right. You put us through an unfair trial, not just that you, sentenced someone innocent to death. You didn't follow the rules of your game, and that certainly must have pissed your viewers off. But we have a proposition for you, if you are interested that is. After all, I am sure you'll love to indulge your curiosity in it." he said.

"I'm listening." Monokuma said, placing his hands behind his back.

"Reopen the case of Mukuro Ikusaba, and give us sufficient time to conduct our investigation. No time limits, no surprise trials. We will investigate for as long as we deem fit and decide when the trial begins. Call it a final battle if you will, our Hope against your Despair." Kyoko said, a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Hmm...color me impressed. I didn't think you two would come up with something like this. Perhaps having the two of you in this academy together wasn't such a good idea. I agree to your terms, not just that...I'll open up every room in the academy to indulge your investigation. Solve the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba, as well as the Mystery of Hope's Peak Academy, and not only will I concede defeat, but I will let you and your surviving cohorts leave the academy, no questions asked." he said. Yuno and Kyoko shared a look. She gave him a slight nod, and he turned to the bear.

"I'm assuming if we don't solve the mystery, we'll all get executed correct?" he asked.

"That is indeed the catch. No votes will be held if you loose, if you can't solve the mystery, it's an instant execution. So go ahead, take all the time in the world, but I'm sure you will never be able to triumph, not when so much despair lingers in the area."

"That's where you are wrong. We will defeat you and your despair, by using the hope bestowed upon me by my friends, I will find out who you are and defeat you. Your time of treating us as nothing but your toys is over, so put her there Monokuma, because you just signed your death warrant." he said, holding his hand out. The bear smirked, placing a single paw in it, giving it a firm shake.

"You've exceeded my expectations Yuno. I wish you luck, as if you'll need it." he said, bursting into laughter. The siblings turned around, making their exit.

Leon sighed, tapping his fingernails against the table top. With nothing to do, he had been forced to play a game of poker with his girlfriend. She had whooped his ass several times already, but he wasn't one to deny her anything. He had been getting fragmented memories of his past, several things had become clear, it wasn't the first time he had met Taeko, and it wasn't the first time they had dated, they had actually been dating for far longer.

Mikan and Makoto had experienced the same thing, as well as Sayaka. Fragmented memories of a past filled with Hope, all hitting them at the same time. Byakuya stood at the back of the cafeteria, ignoring the holes left behind by the skewers Bryce had used to murder Nick.

"Do you think...do you think there's hope for us, beyond those walls? That we are here for a reason and we aren't supposed to leave?" Mikan asked, looking around the room.

"Don't tell me you are getting cold feet now Nurse girl." Leon said, looking at her.

"No no, it's just...I've been getting this weird feeling, like we were never supposed to leave, that we all decided to stay for a reason. I just don't remember what it is." She said.

"Now that you mention it, I got that same feeling, several times in the last week actually." Sayaka replied.

"Don't worry dear, whatever is happening beyond those walls, it certainly can't be worse than everything we have been put through in here. I'm ready to leave, besides...I miss my beautiful Grand Bois Cheri, oh he must be so plump right now." she said.

"Uh...what is she talking about?" Makoto asked.

"Her cat. She's told me stories about how pampered he is, and all of the things she's bought him." Leon said, crossing his arms.

"Dude, you can't be telling me you are jealous of a cat." the Ultimate Lucky Student said, chuckling at the thought.

"I am not, I just want her to give me the same attention." he said. Taeko giggled, kissing his cheek.

"I am, you two are the most precious things in my life, more so then even all of my wealth. When we get out of here, I want you to help me out, I'm sure we'll be able to buy that castle in Europe." she said.

"So long as I get to have my baseball field in the back. Thinking back on it, I think me being a rock star was just a passing fad. I actually miss the sport." he admitted, rubbing his neck.

"Fool, that idea of yours...coming to this academy with the intent of switch your talent...you should just embrace it, or else you'll be just that, a fool." Byakuya said, looking over his shoulder.

"Aw, he does have a heart!" Hina said, a smile on her face.

The group heard footsteps, heading into the plaza. All of them stiffened when the doors to the cafeteria opened, and Yuno walked in, tired, covered in trash, but mostly happy to be alive. He looked at all of them, seeing their shocked expressions. He frowned, bowing his head.

"I'm sorry. I almost got everyone here killed." he said firmly.

"No...you don't have to apologize. There is nothing for you to apologize for, it was all Monokuma's doing." Makoto said, walking toward him, still clutching his cane. All of them stopped before him, with Leon pinching his nose.

"Damn dude, you smell rank." he said.

"Oh thanks, it's not like I spent the last day swimming in trash or anything, and then the last two hours climbing a ladder." he said firmly, though he was smiling. He looked at Sayaka, who was glancing away from him. He reached out for her, but held himself back, looking at everyone else.

"We just came back from the gym. We challenged Monokuma to a final trial." he said firmly.

"We have all the time we need to figure out the mystery of Hope's Peak Academy, and solve the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba. This is the final battle between Hope and Despair, and if we loose." Kyoko chose not to finish, all of them knowing what would happen if they didn't solve the case.

 _Ding dong ding dong_

" _Ahem, this is a school wide announcement. With the recent challenge imposed on me by the Kirigiri Siblings, I have decided to allow all of you to take place in one final trial. The stakes are high, so make sure to investigate the academy from top to bottom. All of the areas that were closed off before are now unlocked, so search till your hearts content. When you are ready to begin the class trial, then head to the red doors, and into the elevator. Now, to get you all sniffing in the right direction, why was it that this academy's student count was capped at Eighteen? Why that number? I'm sure you'll find all the answers soon enough!"_

With that, the monitor shut off. The weight of their situation finally set in, and they all gave each other firm nods. The sounds of the grates opening resounded throughout the entire academy, the loud bang at the end echoing throughout the building. Makoto took out his handbook, looking at the map.

"It seems we now have access to the Second floor of the dormitories, as well as the Headmaster's office and the Biology Lab." he said.

"Alright then, we shall all split up and hold our own investigations. Work in pairs of two and make sure you inspect everything down to the finest detail. Even if you believe it's useless, write it down, and if you find anything, bag it, we can't afford to loose this case." Byakuya said.

"I'm...gonna take a shower. I'll join everyone afterwards." Yuno said, turning around. His sister held her arm in front of him, stopping him from moving.

"I found an outfit that will fit you more than what you are currently wearing. You are no longer the Ultimate Archer, so it's time you dress like the Ultimate Private Investigator. After all, these are your clothes." she said, grabbing a bag from on top of the nearby table. He looked inside it, furrowing his brows.

"Um...okay...thanks sis..I won't be long." he said. Everyone looked at Sayaka, who had remained silent the entire time. She looked at them, shrugging her shoulders.

"What?"

"Seriously girl? Are you going to stand there and stare at the damn wall or are you going to talk to him?" Hina asked.

"I...don't know if he does want to talk to me." she said.

"Women and their emotions. It's no wonder they're so bi-polar. Let us go Hina, you and I shall start in the Headmaster's office." Byakuya said.

"What? Why do I get stuck with you?" she snapped, clearly miffed about the situation.

"Trust me, it isn't a walk in the park for me either. Kyoko prefers to work alone, and Ryouko is off in her own world, analyzing every little thing. It's obvious you and I will be the remaining pair...don't make me wait." he said. The brunette sighed, shaking her head.

"Fine, I'll go with you. It seems I don't have a choice in the matter anyway." she said, following after the Affluent Progeny, her ponytail whipping about as she raced after him.

"Sayaka, I know you want to talk to him, so just hurry up and get it over with. We can't let anything hinder our investigation. Also, the idiot forgot the fact that he doesn't have the room key." Kyoko said.

"Oh...right. Um...I'll see you all later then." she said, slowly making her way toward her dorm.

"When can we expect kids?" Taeko whispered, making Leon chuckle.

"It won't be long now, especially knowing that he isn't just going to shower. Let them have their time, for now we will all break up and work on solving this case, as Byakuya said, leave no stone unturned." Kyoko said, taking her leave, the first place she wanted to check out was the Biology Lab, seeing as it was the only room she had yet to see in the entire academy.

"I'll go check out the Dorms with Mikan, you two can handle the Biology Lab right?" Makoto asked, turning to Leon and Taeko.

"Indeed, worry not we will be thorough." the gambler said.

"Won't be long now. Oh, the sweet outdoors how I've missed thee so." Leon said, pumping his fist into the air.

It was a bit awkward when Sayaka came to let Yuno into her dorm. They hadn't spoken a single word, with him quickly ducking into the bathroom so he would shower. A day in rotting clothes was enough to make you want to bathe in bleach, but he didn't have that option. He would rather smell like Primrose Meadow as opposed to rotting trash any day.

Once he was done, he dried himself off, and took out the clothes his sister had given him, along with the underwear he had grabbed on his way in. He slipped on the dark black jeans first, feeling a bit odd in them. They fit him perfectly, but were a bit cold. He buckled his belt, grabbing the shirt that was in the bag, a plain white long sleeved shirt. He button the cuffs, and then grabbed the red tie, wrapping it around his neck.

With practiced skill, he tied the red cloth around his neck, folding the collar down. The final thing he pulled out was a violet blazer, one that was identical to the one his sister wore, of course it was a little bigger, to fit his frame, and a bit more masculine. The collar of it had several silver studs on it, which trailed down from his shoulders down the length of his arm.

He grabbed his pin, the same one he remembered his father giving him the day he had first come to the academy, and placed it on his lapel, using the towel to shine it up a bit. The last thing he put on was his black boots, finishing his look. He grabbed his dirty clothes, shoving them in the bag and tying the top, leaving the bathroom right after.

Sayaka was sitting at the bed, quietly playing with a piece of string.

She looked up, eyes widening a bit at the outfit he was in. He gave her a lopsided smile, placing the bag of clothes on the desk, grabbing his handbook and placing it in his pocket. They remained quiet for a few seconds, before he turned around, heading to the door.

"Wait...we need to talk." she said, standing up from the bed.

"No we don't. I was a dick to you, I don't deserve someone like you by my side, so maybe it's time we just...let it go." he said.

"Don't make me hit you assface!" she snapped, causing him to turn around, before he could even say anything, she grabbed his shoulders, pulling him down for a kiss.

He tried pulling away, but she didn't let him, instead he found himself melting into it, wrapping his hands her waist, pulling her closer to him. She pulled away, resting her head on his chest.

"I forgive you. You weren't in your right mind, you were suffering from that Despair Fever. None of this was your fault." she said.

"But...I was such a douche bag to you. I can't just forget all of that you know, the fact that I said you betrayed my trust, and I told you I made a mistake...it's just."

"Shh, it's alright. I forgive you, Makoto forgave you, everyone forgives you. This was just a ploy by the mastermind, to get you to kill someone. Alter Ego told us everything." she said.

"I...understand. Thank you, for being so understanding...I don't know if I'll be able to redeem myself, but I suppose getting us out of here will be step one." he said.

"Maybe after all this is over, we can have some fun together." she said, giving him a wink. He blushed a bit, turning to the door.

"Let's move...we don't need to waste anymore time. I'm ready to shut this down tonight." he said firmly, opening the door to the bedroom. Sayaka followed after him, taking his hand in her own. Their relationship had been a bit rocky, but she was happy to have worked everything out.

 _ **xxx**_

Junko bit her lip, her eyes glossed over as she watched the screens all around her. The end was nigh, and all the things she had been working on for the past three months were slowly unraveling. Yuno's fall into despair had failed, and had given him more hope than she anticipated, and now she had been pushed into a corner. Than again, she had planned for this, no matter what she did the clues she would give them would lead them astray, and they would never leave the academy, so long as they wished.

Her eyes fell onto the outdoor monitors, it seemed as if the foundation had started building a perimeter around the academy, in case they students within were to leave the campus.

She giggled to herself, the thought of them jumping the gun was thrilling, almost as thrilling as the fact that she was a hen in a pen, waiting to be captured. She didn't even bother taking them down, she would indulge them, if only for a moment.

"So, it seems the time has finally come. Hope and Despair will be put to the test, and only one of them will win. I wonder who it will be?" Junko said aloud, spinning in her chair.

She stopped in front of one of the monitors, showing her sister Mukuro, still posing as Ryouko. She had been displeased at everything that had happened. She had been hoping Yuno would have taken care of her, but she did prove herself to be useful.

Her sudden discovery of Alter Ego and her reaction to it had been interesting, and she didn't need to deal with the program anymore, though it was still in her system, messing with her head. Mukuro's blue eyes glared into the camera, as if she was staring into Junko's own soul. She swallowed hard, feeling a bit of fear in her system.

"Could it be that...she actually remembers who I am? And her situation? No...that isn't it...even if she remembers little old me, she wouldn't necessarily remember the reason why she was brought here. Maybe I should have let her die when Mondo stabbed her, useless tool." she muttered dryly.

She grabbed one of her energy drinks, cracking the can open with one of her nails, she took a long gulp, not tearing her eyes away from the screen. The sound of footsteps echoed in the room, and she looked back, a smile on her face.

"Well, aren't you an adorable little tyke? I wasn't expecting you to be awake already." she said, setting her can down. She knelt down, patting the little girl on the head.

This little girl, was around three and a half years old, with a cute face free of blemishes. She had vibrant blue eyes, and long strawberry blonde hair, which had been brushed down until it was straight. She was wearing a spaghetti strap black shirt, with a matching blue skirt, her feet being bare. She smiled brightly, holding a drawing in her hands.

"Look, I drew a bear momma. Do you like it?" she asked, a bright smile on her face. The picture was of course a drawing of Monokuma. Junko smiled, taking the drawing from the little girl's hands.

"Of course I do sweetheart. Why don't you go eat some cereal? Momma has a lot of work to do, and she doesn't want you to see any of it yet, not until you are old enough." she said, giving her a wink.

"Okay, can we play later? I want to play hide and seek with Auntie Muku!" she said.

"I told you, Auntie Muku isn't coming back." she snapped angrily. The little girl stiffened a bit, looking at the ground.

"Sorry momma, I didn't mean to upset you." she said, turning around. She walked off, heading through the Monokuma door into Junko's personal bedroom. The young woman sighed, looking back at the screen.

"My little girl, I've spared you from all of this, because it's too early for you to see my beautiful creation. Perhaps this is for the best...you weren't born a despair loving individual...one day, I hope you see the world in the same light as me...but for now, enjoy your life...it won't be long until you get to see the outside world." she said, a malicious grin on her face.

Oh, this trial was going to be great, and Junko could only Hope it didn't take her friends too long to solve everything. She glanced back at the screen, which was showing Yuno and Sayaka searching around for clues. Her face flushed when she looked at Yuno's face, and she bit her lip hard. Such impure thoughts were unbecoming of her.

 _ **xxx**_

Yuno and Sayaka slowly made their way up the stairs, leading to second floor dormitories. As soon as they turned the corner though, they let out a gasp, looking around at all the destruction. The walls were cracked and crumbling, the lights were hanging by wires, and there were piles of rubble everywhere. There was a single room at the very end of the hallway, which had been his father's personal quarters, all of the other doors, save for one leading into a locker area, had been tightly barred.

"Jeez, what happened here? Looks like a bomb went off." Sayaka said.

"Knowing Monokuma, that's probably a good assumption. My father's room is all the way at the end of the hall, come on."

"I'm still having a hard time believing you and the headmaster are related, hell, I still can't believe you and Kyoko are related." she replied.

"I had a hard time too, but my memories have been getting a bit better. I...remember why I came to this academy. I wanted to reconcile with my father. Me and Kyoko didn't grow up together, she was raised by our grandfather, a world class detective, so she was always abroad. He didn't tell me for years that I had a sister, until he took me to his father's place, my grandfather. That's when I saw pictures of Kyoko...I sort of snapped at him, called him a lying bastard. He cheated on Kyoko's mom with mine, and didn't even stick around to take care of me. That just burned me up...I couldn't take it, so I told him I didn't want to see him ever again. It was around that time that Kyoko's mom ended up passing away, and he just...disappeared." he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that Yuno. But at least you made it here right, perhaps you two did reconcile." she said.

"Doubt it...I was pretty stubborn. Hell, even now I remember bits and pieces of several conversations we had in the past. Kyoko didn't like me much either. She was the proud older sister, who had a younger half brother. To her, I was just a bastard child, a mistake her father committed, so we didn't speak much. We started talking, mostly due to our similar interests in becoming Detectives. However, she got the training from a real detective, while I, relied on books, television shows and my intellect to excel in solving cases. She had it easy." he said.

"That's a lie you know."

The two stopped, looking back to see Kyoko and Makoto, walking toward the bedroom that had just opened up. The Lucky Student gave them a shy wave. She looked him over, giving him a nod.

"I'll have you know, I didn't have it easy. I had to work my ass off learning everything, being a detective was in my blood. To some though, it was a useless talent. Father didn't like it, so he instead left the family, and became the headmaster of this institution. I resented him for it, for years, but I came here so I could meet up with him, just like you did." she said, brushing past him into the room.

The headmaster's personal bedroom was just as you'd expect it to be, very luxurious. There was a flatscreen television hooked up to the other end of the room, with a pullout couch in the center and a closet to the far left. Next to the closet was a desk top computer, the lights on the front of the CPU flashing brightly. There was also a small kitchen, and a side door that lead to the small bathroom.

"So, you really think this is where your old man hung his hat?" Makoto asked, looking around the room.

"Positive. We used to watch reruns of Dragon Ball Z on the weekends, when I wasn't solving a case. I...barely remember those days." Yuno said, looking fondly at the television.

"Hey, a computer. Do you think it holds any information on it?" Sayaka asked, walking to the other side of the room.

"Tons, I've scoured the files on the hard drive for the last few days." Kyoko said, typing a few things on the computer, several files opened up at once, showing detailed files on everything in the academy.

"Oh right, you checked this place out with the skeleton key right?" Makoto asked. Sayaka looked at him weird.

"Skeleton key?" she asked.

"Monokuma's treasure, the thing that was stolen from him. It was a key that opened every door in the academy." Makoto explained, making her shudder.

"So...they could have...oh god." she said, a shudder going through her spine.

"A chilling thought but...are you sure you didn't find anything sis? I'm sure something caught your eye." Yuno said.

"Plenty caught my eye, but nothing of interest. Nothing that talked about The Tragedy, or why we were trapped here. But I did find something that I think you should look at." she said, opening another file.

A few seconds later, she took a step away from the computer.

It was a picture, depicting a tall, purple haired man, wearing a black suit, smiling brightly. Next to him was a beautiful young woman, with long violet hair, reaching down to her waist. She had lightly tanned skin, and vibrant violet eyes. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt, along with a long white skirt that reached down to her calves. She was wearing a pair of white slippers and was holding a purse in her hands. She was also smiling brightly in the picture.

On the man's shoulders was a little boy, of around seven years, with short spiky purple hair. He was wearing a white tee shirt with a paw print on it, along with a pair of black shorts and sneakers. He was holding a toy car in his hand, and a large lollipop in the other. It was a bright sunny day, with blue skies as far as the eye could see. The grass was green, and the trees were alive, unlike the scene he had seen in his dreams. He put his hand on the screen, lowering his gaze.

"Mom...it's been so long." he muttered.

"That's your mom Yuno?" Sayaka asked. He gave her a nod.

"Her name was Yuriko...she was the best mom ever. Sweet, kindhearted, always spoiled me with anything I wanted. She loved me just as much as I loved her. We would always play video games together, draw on the sidewalk with chalk. Instead of my mom, she was more akin to a best friend. When I was accepted into Hope's Peak Academy, she had been ecstatic. So much so that she even joined the faculty. She just wanted me to be happy, and she knew how much I wanted to see my dad. She was proud of me, right until the very end." he said.

"What...happened to her?" Makoto asked.

"A riot broke out, and during it, 267 Reserve Course students ended up committing suicide. Thinking that it was just a prank, most of the surviving students started attacking the security guards posted around the academy. They went as far as kidnapping anyone caught leaving or entering the academy, it just so happened that Yuno's mother was one of those victims. I don't remember much of it, but she was murdered on campus, and her body was hung for everyone to see." Kyoko said.

"Jesus Christ! How can someone do that?" Sayaka cried out.

"Despair warps the minds of the weak. It works its wait into the recesses of your mind, and it reprograms your entire system. Morals don't apply to those who fall under its grasp. It seems my mom was one of the people they targeted...but that's in the past. Did you find anything of interest?" He asked, turning to his sister. She frowned, but gave him a nod, opening up a password prompt.

"I've been trying to access it for awhile now. I've tried every combination I could think of, but nothing." she said.

He nodded, and decided to take a crack at it. The first one he entered, ended up failing, as did the second one, and the third. He sighed, giving up on the fourth.

"My old man really wanted to keep whatever is in there tight." he said, crossing his arms.

"Can I...try?" Makoto asked. Sharing a look, the siblings nodded, stepping away from the computer. Kyoko, Yuno and Sayaka watched in mild surprise as he was able to crack the code. The wall beside the computer glowed brightly, as a section of it disappeared, revealing a secret room.

"Way to go Makoto. That luck of yours is really something else." Yuno said, clapping his shoulder.

"Yeah, mostly unlucky though." he said with a chuckle. Kyoko took a step toward the darkened room, looking inside for a brief second before stepping inside, followed by Yuno.

"Wonder what this place is for." he muttered to himself. He noticed the gift wrapped box sitting on the table. He swallowed the lump in his throat, looking away from it. Sayaka reached for it, only for him to grab her hand.

"Don't." he said simply.

"But it's a gift box...maybe it's something important." she said.

"Trust me, whatever is in that box will be far from being a gift." Kyoko said, walking to the other side of the room. Makoto lifted the lid on the box, letting out a scream when he saw the skull and bones resting inside.

"What the hell is this?" he shouted.

"Makoto, Sayaka, meet our father." Yuno said simply.

"But...that can't be possible." the pop idol cried.

"Trust me it is. The information given to us confirms it...Alter Ego, she said that the Headmaster was most likely still on campus. She never specified whether he was alive or dead. Also we never met the man, so that's the only answer." He replied, he noticed his sister had remained silent, and noticed she was looking at a picture frame.

"We can't just...leave him here." Makoto said.

"He's right...we have to do something." Sayaka said.

"Pfft, what exactly can we do? It's not as if we can bury him. Besides, the man was trash...he did a lot of stuff that I've never forgiven him for. It's unforgivable." Kyoko snapped, placing the picture face down.

Yuno remained silent, watching as his sister made her way out of the room. He looked back at the picture, seeing something bulging from the frame. Scratching the tape off, he saw that it was an SD card.

"Hello, what is this?" he asked quietly to himself.

"Hey Yuno, I found this handbook in the box...what should I do with it?" Makoto asked, holding the device up.

"Keep it, may prove useful to our search. Come on, we need to check this out." he said, showing them the card.

The two teens nodded, walking out of the room. Kyoko was by the sink, having downed a glass of water, it was clear that she was in distress but she wasn't showing it. She looked up as Yuno was placing the memory card in the card reader. It popped up on screen, and he clicked on it.

"It's...a video file." Makoto said.

"Click it, maybe it's something important." Sayaka said.

He double clicked on the video, and it started loading. It fizzled a bit, before the video started up. Their eyes widened when they saw Sayaka, sitting on a leather chair, looking at a man, who couldn't be seen.

" _You know how things are on the outside. Given the circumstances, do you agree to stay within the academy, possibly forever?"_ the man asked.

" _I do."_ Sayaka replied, no emotion on her face.

"What is this? I don't remember this at all." she cried out, clearly confused. The next person that appeared on screen was Makoto, agreeing to the same thing.

"This...we must have met the headmaster at some point. But when was this taken?" Makoto asked. The next person that appeared on screen was Byakuya, his lips were pressed into a thin line, his hand on his glasses.

" _As you know, things outside aren't very favorable. Do you agree to remain in the academy, for the rest of your life?"_ the headmaster asked.

" _Yes of course."_ Byakuya replied, much like everyone else. The next person on screen was Junko Enoshima, before they could all get a good look at her though, the screen shut off.

"Whoops, my mistake. Isn't technology such a bitch?" Monokuma cried, swinging the cord in his hand.

"Dude what the hell?" Makoto cried out. The card reader sparked, burning the card.

"Whelp, that's a real shame too bad so sad." the bear replied.

"I get it. Another frame in that video and this case would have been blown wide open." Yuno said, crossing his arms.

"Perhaps, but maybe I just wanted to give you all a bigger challenge. Toodles for now!"

Yuno narrowed his eyes, looking back at the screen.

" _That memory card definitely held the answer to what we were looking for. But why wait until Junko was on screen? She wasn't anything special, just a normal girl with a talent for fashion."_

"Monokuma may have destroyed that memory card, but it was thanks to the headmaster that we found it. It's like he's helping us from beyond the grave." Makoto said, a smile on his face.

"Makoto, could you...leave me alone for a bit?" Kyoko said firmly.

"Uh...okay." he said.

"Sayaka, help Makoto out for a bit will you? I won't be long." Yuno said.

"I understand, come on Makoto. We haven't checked the Locker room yet." she said, dragging the Lucky Student with her.

"Why did this happen?" Kyoko asked, her voice breaking a bit. Yuno sighed, wrapping his arms around her small frame, pulling her into a hug.

"I don't know why this happened sis, but we can't give up yet. Our dad, he wasn't a good father, nowhere near it. He kept too many secrets, and messed up too many times, but he was trying to fix things between us, or else he wouldn't have allowed us to come into this academy. We will figure out what happened, and avenge his death. Don't give up hope." he said.

"Thank you...I was so bad to you growing up. I turned you down when all you wanted was a big sister. Even though you were bitter toward me and dad, you were so kind to our little sister. You accepted her into the family with arms wide open, while I just shunned the two of you." she said softly.

"It's alright Kyoko. Life wasn't easy for either of us growing up..but maybe this is what we needed to understand each other. Even with all of this horrible stuff that's happened, we can at least look at the hope between the despair." he said. He let her go, and she cleared her throat, fixing her blazer.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit longer. Perhaps there is something else I can use."

"Alright, be careful and stay safe." he said, taking his leave.

Kyoko smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She was glad to have a brother as caring as Yuno.

 _ **Memory Card was added to your Truth Bullets**_

As he walked, Yuno ended up passing by the Locker Room, seeing as Sayaka and Makoto were busy investigating the lockers. Wanting to be alone for a bit, he decided to head up to the Biology Lab. It had been the only room so far that he hadn't checked. He would have to make sure to stop at the Headmaster's office to check on a few things. After ten minutes, he finally made it, looking at the broken camera on the side of the room, which sparked and fizzled as it tried to record. He looked up, seeing Ryouko staring at a few files. She looked up from one, a smile on her face.

"Hey Yuno, how are things?" she asked.

"Pretty good. Find anything interesting?" he asked.

"Well, a few things. The first being this, the profile of Mukuro Ikusaba, it totally contradicts the Monokuma file." she said, holding it out to him.

The file had a picture of a young woman, with short black hair. She had bright blue eyes, and her face was dotted with freckles. She had a stern look on her face. She was dressed in a military suit, black in color with a few medals on the pocket.

"Hmm, Mukuro Ikusaba. Ultimate Soldier...hold on, she was a member of the mercenary group Fenrir?" he asked, looking up at Ryouko.

"Not just that, a decorated member. This girl had military training up the ass, so the fact that she was killed randomly makes no sense. The wounds on the body don't match the ones in the file. She had a stab wound on her leg, three in the chest, one in the hand, and a skull fracture on her forehead. This definitely wasn't caused by a dinky knife." the redhead said.

"That's true...the knife was a red haring...this person was definitely dead before this...meaning this was a set up just as much as my Despair Fever was." Yuno muttered.

"Yes, I remember reading about Fenrir. Supposedly, the members have mastered the art of pain tolerance. Their training is so extreme, that they say one member can take out a hundred members of any other faction. They have the power of two hundred soldiers, and are able to withstand anything, from knife wounds, to even bullet wounds." She said, making the boy go wide eyed.

He looked at the picture closely, focusing on the mark of Fenrir. He saw Ryouko reaching for a file on the high shelf, stretching a bit to reach it. His eyes widened a bit when he saw the same mark on her hand. He looked at her face, comparing it to the picture in his hands. He dropped the file, which landed on the ground with a loud bang. Ryouko looked at him, tilting her head.

"Are you alright Yuno?" she asked.

"Ryouko...you were being kept in the Neuroscience Lab right? I read this in your journal." he said.

"Um...I was. I just woke up there and my friend Akihiko explained things, I don't remember when I was brought to the academy. I did see the guns mounted at the top. It was really weird, seeing that kind of weaponry mounted on a building like this. It...also looked familiar to me...and the sound of the Anti-Tank rifle...the piercing rounds and explosions...is there a reason why you asked me this?" she asked.

"No reason in particular...I just have a theory of what could have happened to you, and if it turns out to be true, then I am very sorry." he said.

"I don't know what that means but...okay." she said, turning back to the file.

She finally knocked it down, causing it to hit the ground. Landing open, it showed a picture of Junko Enoshima, along with her profile. She looked at it, eyes widening a bit, just before Monokuma swooped in and grabbed it.

"Yoink, this is mine."

"Again? I thought you said we could inspect anything as much as we wanted. You aren't playing fair you know." Yuno snapped, glaring at the bear.

"Hey, I came here to deliver a clue as it we're. Here ya go." he said, placing a picture face down on the ground. He took off, taking the file with him. Yuno knelt down, grabbing the picture, sparing a glance at Ryouko who had remained frozen in place.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm...fine. This is going to take awhile for me to get used to." she muttered, walking out of the room.

He watched her go, narrowing his eyes. He flipped the picture over, standing up from his spot. His eyes scanned over the picture, looking at everyone around it. He recognized everyone that had been in the academy with him, along with several unknown people. He saw Natsumi, Daisuke and Hiyoko, standing by one of the large fountains in the large courtyard.

It had been a bright spring day, since the Sakura trees were in bloom. Sayaka and Hiyoko were standing together, with the former looking at the girl's hand, and he was able to spot a diamond ring on her finger. He noticed Leon was standing in the back, reaching out for Taeko who had taken his prized baseball. Behind the two he could see Junko, though her face was being blocked by Leon's hand. He saw Mukuro standing alone by the fountain, looking stiff and formal. The more he looked at the picture, the more he realized he wasn't in it. He looked it over a couple of times, stroking his chin.

"I don't remember this being taken, but I can't deny that it isn't real. After all, those other pictures were definitely real, so why wouldn't this one be? But what's the significance?" he asked himself.

 _ **Neuroscience Lab was Added to your Truth Bullets**_

 _ **Mark of Fenrir was added to your Truth Bullets**_

 _ **Ryouko's Account was added to your Truth Bullets**_

 _ **Suspicious Picture was added to your Truth Bullets**_

He placed the picture in his pocket, and move on out of the room, heading for the stairwell. Moving up to the fifth floor, he decided that something was up with his picture, and if he had gotten one, there was a chance his friends had gotten similar ones as well.

"That must be what he wants, to use those to throw us off. No matter, he isn't going to get me that easily." he smirked.

Arriving on the fifth floor, he took a right at the end of the hall, passing by Classroom 5-C and heading to the far hallway, to the door labeled Biology Lab. He was half expecting the door to remain locked, but was glad when it opened.

Inside, he spotted Leon and Taeko, the two of them chatting quietly among themselves. The Biology lab was large, and filled with several freezers, each containing a specimen of some sort. The room lacked actual stations, but there was a large table in the back, which had several pieces of equipment scattered on it. He looked to his right, seeing all of the freezers. He shivered a bit, seeing his breath every time he exhaled.

"The Biology lab was being used as a Morgue." Leon said, standing next to him.

"So that's the reason why we couldn't open the door. They didn't want us seeing this beforehand, but now that we have access to it." he muttered, letting the sentence hang.

"A grim thought...all of the deceased are in those freezers. It could have been any one of us, the thought that I could have found myself inside one of those...thank you Yuno, for never giving up and for saving my life." Taeko said, kissing his cheek. He blushed a bit, looking at the far wall.

"It's...no problem Taeko. You would have done the same for me." he said.

"Hey, I wanna thank ya too. For not only being my friend but, for keeping our hopes up."

"Yeah sure, but if you try to kiss me, I'll kick you in the dick." Yuno deadpanned, walking toward the freezers.

Leon chuckled dryly, not wanting to piss the Private Investigator off. He looked at all of the freezers, swallowing hard.

"Eighteen people came into this academy alive, and eight of them rest inside these freezers. Such a great loss of life thanks to this vile disgusting game." he said, clenching his hand. He looked at all of the green dots, counting seven active freezers.

"Wait...only seven? But eight of us died...that can't be right." he muttered to himself. He walked toward the seventh freezer, and opened it, pulling the body out from within.

"Dude what the fuck are you doing?" Leon asked, backing away from the freezer.

"Following a hunch." he replied, pulling the sheet off the body.

He was greeted with charred remains of their latest victim. He looked the body over, seeing the wounds that the file had pointed out, along with the fresh wound in the center of the chest. He checked the body over, looking for anything that could point him to the answer. Nodding to himself, he pulled the sheet over the body and closed the freezer back up, muttering a small prayer for the person within.

"Did you...find anything?" Leon asked.

"A lot. This case is starting to fall together...won't be long now." he said, turning to leave.

"Yuno...are you sure we can get out of here?" Taeko asked.

"Definitely, just trust me would you. Keep your hopes high and you dreams higher." he said with a wink, leaving the lab.

 _ **Number of Bodies was added to your Truth Bullets**_

Walking back down to the first floor, he had started piecing everything together in his notebook. Mukuro Ikusaba was not dead, and the person in the freezer was clearly someone else. The fact that his memories had come back clearer than before meant someone had messed with his mind, and evidently messed with Ryouko's mind as well, as she didn't remember anything about who she was.

The video file of them meeting with his father was also important, as it meant that something bad had happened and they had agreed to be sealed in the academy. The biggest clue of them all, Monokuma had prevented him from seeing Junko's face twice, once in the video, and the second time in her student file. That was all too damn suspicious for him to ignore.

"Yuno, there you are we've been looking all over for you!" Sayaka cried, running up to him. He gave her a quick hug, turning to Makoto who had been catching his breath.

"What's up you two? Find anything interesting?" he asked.

"We did, a pair of notebooks. We also found a locker filled with stuff belonging to a guy named Yasuhiro Hagakure. We believe he was part of our class, a person who was supposed to be in this academy with us." Makoto said. He handed the notebooks over, and he opened up the first one, reading all of the notes inside. The handwriting was neat and tidy, elegant even.

"Wait...we've had no classes, why would this guy have study notes?" he asked.

"That's what we asked ourselves, but it's the small notebook that has more answers." the pop idol said firmly. He handed her the big notebook, flipping through the pages.

" _Plans to turn Hope's Peak Academy into a Shelter. This is the best solution at this time, we can't wait any longer. Despair is spreading like wild fire, and I fear this is the only way to save those close to me. Hisashi is already gathering supplies. I shall discuss the rest with my father at once."_

"This is Kyoko's handwriting...I would recognize this anywhere. So she knew about the shelter plan, and even talked to dad about it. Was I the one who brought supplies in then?" he asked curiously.

"Seems like it, but it's the next thing that was alarming." Makoto said, flipping the page.

" _Despair has made it's way in. There are two of them, in fact...that's probably why we all survived."_

"Two despairs?" he asked.

"Oh right, Kyoko never said this to you did she? Mukuro Ikusaba was the Eighteenth student hidden in the academy, she wasn't known just as the Ultimate Soldier, she was also known as the Ultimate Despair. Now that we found this, we can assume she wasn't the only one." The Lucky Student replied, earning a nod from Yuno.

"This is getting more confusing as we go along don't you think? It's crazy to think that all of this is happening right now. We've only been here a couple of months, three at most." Sayaka said.

" _But can we truly say that? From everything that I've discovered, it's safe to say that it hasn't been more than a few months. It's been far far longer, how long? That's a good guess."_

"We can't dismiss that notion either. There are things I still don't understand, memories of things that I can't grasp...and it seems we won't be able to solve the mystery that easily. Monokuma has been making it really hard for us as well, especially with the pictures." Makoto said.

"Wait...you guys got a picture too?" He asked.

"Yeah, but they were weird. I was in Makoto's, but not in my own, the same applied for him." Sayaka said.

"Then it applies to me too, I wasn't in my own, but both of you were in it, along with everyone who's currently alive. This must be a ploy, the mastermind wants us to get confused and start pinning after each other."

 _Ding dong ding dong_

" _Ahem, this is your amazing headmaster Monokuma. I understand that we agreed on you all having as much time as you needed, but hurry it up! I'm getting freaking bored down here!"_

The monitor shut off, and Yuno smirked, nodding to himself.

"I suppose we've kept him waiting long enough. I've found everything I needed to within the academy, and I've built my case. It's time to put this thing to bed. We have to do our best and not give up, every step of the way, Monokuma will try to stop us, so don't give up hope. I trust you guys." Yuno said.

"Same here, you bestowed your hope onto me after all, and I am not going to let it go to waste. Let's go."

The three students started walking toward the red doors at the end of the first floor hallway. As they did, they ran into the others, all finished with their investigation. They all stopped in front of the doors, which slowly creaked open. They walked into the room, stepping right into the elevator. Yuno wrapped his arm around Sayaka, looking around at everyone else.

Mikan and Makoto were holding each other, the nurse visibly shaking. Taeko and Leon were doing the same, though they were more calm than anything. Hina was biting her lip, standing next to Byakuya who looked indifferent. Ryouko was playing with a strand of hair, muttering things under her breath.

Kyoko however, seemed to be the calmest out of all of them, her face was free of emotion and her eyes were shimmering a bit. They were slightly puffy, meaning she had been crying, most likely in secret. He reached for her hand, taking it in his own. She looked at him oddly, but he just gave her a warm smile. The elevator dinged, and the doors slowly opened.

"This is it everyone. A deadly trial to end all trials, we fail here, and it's the end of the road." Makoto said.

"We aren't going to fail, we have everything we need." Leon said.

"Yeah, we won't take this lying down. We've come this far, why not go the extra mile?" Hina said.

"Indeed. Once we leave this academy, I will be content with reading a book from the comfort of my library. If you plebeians are up for it, you can come along with me and make my tea." Byakuya said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Jeez, like I would ever work for you!" Hina snapped angrily.

"Just in case anything does happen, I'd like to say that it was an honor meeting all of you. You are all my...dearest friends, and I know this isn't the end, and it won't be the end but...after everything that I did, you've all be so kind to accept me. So I will use their hope, to guide us to daylight, and I'll be able to keep my promise...so let's go...lets end this." Yuno said, walking into the Trial Court Room.

Even though they were nervous, they knew they had all the answers, and it would take all of them to piece it all together, but at the end, they would be ready to leave the academy. No more death, no more murder, no more class trials, and no more despair. In the warmth of each others hands, they would find the hope within themselves to finish this trial for good.

 _ **xxx**_

After the shock and surprise of seeing Mrs. Naegi, Daisuke and Hiyoko decided they had wasted enough time gawking. After their pleasantries, Kanade decided to brief them on the situation currently happening in Towa city.

"As you know, there is a heavy presence of Reserve Course students from Hope's Peak Academy hanging around the area. We do not know why and have tried to see what they are doing, but they are cautious, even more so then the soldiers themselves. We decided to contact one of our suppliers, Musashi Togami, and she decided to talk to her superior. I'm assuming that was Lady Nevermind correct?" she asked.

"Yes of course. We personally had plans on coming to Towa city to search for a missing comrade, a young woman named Kiriko Nishizawa. She was known as the Ultimate Physician." Daisuke said, handing the file over to the brown haired woman. She looked it over, nodding to herself.

"I've seen this young woman, she was at the local hospital. She met one of my contacts, a woman named Hiroko Hagakure, if you wish to find out more information on her whereabouts, she's the gal to talk to. As for our current problem, several high profile people working for the Towa Group have started going missing. At first we thought it was something happening within the group itself, to hide a company secret, but researching into it lead us to this. Live video feed of one of the murders in action." She said, showing them a table.

The two looked at the video, seeing what looked like a young man, standing at the top of a building, while he was playing with the still living person he had caught. He had taken all of the tendons in the person's body, and strung them up, turning them into a human puppet. The man's screams resounded through the area, as the young man laughed sadistically.

He was around eighteen to nineteen years old, with short black hair, and lightly tanned skin. He was wearing a black track shirt, with matching blue jogging shorts. He had a backpack around his shoulders, several things sticking from the top. He looked at the camera briefly, his crimson eyes flashing on screen before he gave a firm tug on the man, snapping his neck. Hiyoko had a look of shock on her face, while Daisuke himself had one of guilt.

"That...that definitely was Ricardo Vazquez. What the fuck did he do to that man though?" Daisuke asked.

"Reports say he captured him, tortured him for several hours before turning the man into a living puppet by using his own tendons. He had a line rigged on the man's neck should anyone try to make contact. As soon as he saw our men, he pulled the cord ending his life. The victim was a man of forty, responsible for developing the Air Purifier that is currently making this place habitable. Reports also say that the targets are those directly tied with creating them." Kanade said.

"So, he's taking out all of those who helped make the purifiers...why though?" Hiyoko asked.

"Think about it this way. If the Towa Group had the resources, which I'm sure they do, they would be able to manufacture these world wide. That however counteracts what Kazuichi is doing. So it's better to solve one problem by taking care of another. Kill anyone with knowledge of making the purifiers, and the world suffers from toxins for as long as this lasts." Daisuke said.

"That is the answer we have arrived at ourselves. We also have knowledge that he's the one who is currently holding the captives of the killing game. My...my daughter happens to be one of those captives." Kanade said, looking away from the two.

"So, that's who Junko captured. It makes sense that she would force Makoto's hand by threatening him with his sister. Do you have any details on where they are being kept?" Hiyoko asked.

"We do, they're being kept in an apartment complex on the west side of town. However, it is nearly impossible to get near it, as the presence of Despairites is strong. Any and all rescue attempts are near impossible, we also don't want to risk their lives. At any moment, Junko can issue an order and have them all killed."

"That's true. No wonder Sonia said she didn't want us performing a daring rescue. Alright, do you have the coordinates of Ricardo's last known location? We'll track him down and get him out of your hair." Daisuke said, earning a nod from the woman.

"He was last seen in the vicinity of Towa Hills. From my understanding, he poses as a maintenance employee and then captures his targets. No one has actually seen him kill anyone, aside from the amateur videos that make it onto the news of course. If you wish to find him, then that's your best bet." Kanade said.

"Ma'am, we just got reports from the men back at base. Apparently, the Kirigiri siblings challenged Monokuma to one final trial. It won't be long until your son is free." one man said, earning a nod from the brown haired woman.

"Yes, thanks for the news. Keep me posted, I want to see the results of this Class trial first hand." she said.

"We best hurry, we promised Sonia we would be back before they made it out of the academy. We have to be there before the Foundation, or else who knows what will happen." Hiyoko said.

"Then let's step on it. First, we need to make contact with Hiroko Hagakure, so we can get all of the available information on Kiriko Nishizawa, once that's done, well head to Towa Hills and find Ricardo, before he kills again."

"Sounds like a plan."

"If you wish to contact Hiroko, I would buy a pack of cigarettes first. She's a little more...open when she has smokes." Kanade said.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for your help Kanade, and don't worry, I'm sure Makoto and the others will beat Junko into the ground. He's always been the optimistic type, never one to give up." Daisuke said.

"He's so much like his father. If only he could see how much he's grown, I digress, run along now, before you waste anymore time." she said.

With that, the two Remnants of Hope left the Train Station, racing toward the nearest store, they would need all of the information on Kiriko they could get.

After looking around for awhile, they hadn't found anything on the woman that they were looking for, and since he had forgotten to ask where she was located, Hiyoko made it her duty to insult Daisuke for being an idiot. He had almost missed this side of her, almost. Wondering into a nearby street, he saw a group of people, staring at something that was on the sidewalk. Sharing a look, the two of them made their way toward the group, cutting through the people until they finally saw it.

The body of an elderly man, around his early sixties it seemed. He was dressed in a black suit, fancier than anything they had seen. There was blood all over it, spilling around the body, the pink liquid had started flowing toward the nearby storm drain. The throat had been cut open, so the man bled out instantly, and his eyes had been gauged out as well. Daisuke also noticed the man's tendons hand been pulled from his arms and legs and tied to a wooden cross pieces. He took a deep breath, walking a few steps back.

"Well we found our first lead." he muttered dryly.

"Seems like this was recent...where the hell could he have gone?" Hiyoko muttered, looking through the area.

"Sounds like you two have a mystery on your hands." a smooth voice said.

Daisuke looked over his shoulder, eyeing the woman leaning against the nearby wall. She had pale pink hair, and soft brown eyes. She had slightly pale skin, as if she barely got any sun, though with the current state of the world, that would be true for many people. She had a small nose, and light pink lips, a small mole on the side of her lip. She was wearing a light blue Varsity jacket, with a few designs on the front. She was wearing a tank top under her jacket, and it was very tight on her, for obvious reasons. She was wearing light blue ripped jeans, and a pair of red sneakers. She had a laid back look on her face, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Yeah, it seems we do." Hiyoko said, getting a bit defensive.

"Are you...Hiroko Hagakure by any chance?" Daisuke asked. The woman chuckled.

"I could be, depends on who's asking." she said firmly.

"Daisuke Del Rio, Lieutenant for the Remnants of Hope, Kanade Naegi said you had information regarding several things. I would like to purchase said information." he said.

"Are you now? You know, you are a pretty handsome young man, I'm sure you and I can strike a bargain." she said, a smile on her face.

"Hey back off bitch! He's taken." Hiyoko snapped, jumping at the woman, only for Daisuke to grab a handful of her hair, giving her a firm tug. She yelped in pain, glaring at him.

"Sorry about her, she's very jealous around other women. Anyway, I need all the information you have on a girl named Kiriko Nishizawa." he said, tossing her the pack of cigarettes. She looked them over, a smile on her face.

"Kiriko Nishizawa was last seen coming out of the local hospital, three or so weeks ago. She was helping the hospital due to their shortage of available doctors. Due to her Ultimate talent, she had gotten attention from various people in the city, but when she caught the eye of the Towa Group, she disappeared. Rumor has it, one of the Ultimate Despair has her as his captive." she said.

"Great...just what I needed. A psycho murderer and a kidnapper." Hiyoko snapped, crossing her arms. Hiroko didn't waste a second opening her pack of cigarettes. She pulled one of the white sticks out from it, lighting the end with her Zippo lighter.

"It is what it is kids. Though, if you are searching for that Ultimate Despair, I can point ya to in the right direction. She was seen in the old shrine, one that was closed down at the beginning of the Tragedy. Apparently too many people were asking for sanctuary from the Despair, and one of the people ended up murdering everyone that worked there. If you want to find her, that's where she'll be." Hiroko replied.

"She? I thought we were looking for Ricardo Vazquez, not some girl." Hiyoko said.

"It's possible that the girl she's talking about is Kanade Izayoi, the Ultimate Tabloid Reporter. Aside from Roberto, three more people from class 79 fell into despair, Akihiko Shouji is already dead, and so is Bryce Kotenok, that only leaves her. I've never seen her in action, so I don't know what she'll do." he said, the same look of guilt decorating his face.

"She'll probably take our pictures and torture us to death. Then again, we do have one advantage over her, we know how Despair works." the blonde dancer said.

"Fair enough, thanks for the information Hiroko. Hey, I have another question, you are obviously related to Yasuhiro, but you are too young to be his mother, so are you like his sister or something?" he asked. The woman smirked, taking a long drag of her cigarette. She let out the smoke, giving him a wink.

"That'll cost you extra. Maybe your girlfriend here will let me take you out tonight, I can answer all the questions you have then." she said.

"No thanks. Let's go Daisuke, this woman is seriously testing my patience." Hiyoko said. He rolled his eyes, handing the woman a card.

"That's my number, if you have any information, then give me a call, I'll definitely pay for any information you get." he said, finally taking his leave. The woman looked at the card, placing it in her pocket.

"My relationship with Yasuhiro huh? I wonder where that idiot son of mine is right now? Probably borrowing money from the wrong people again...oh where did I go wrong with him?" she asked herself, looking up at the sky.


	32. Chapter 6(2) Goodbye Academy of Despair

**A/N: Well...this is it, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, I present you the final chapter of the School Life of Mutual Killing. It took a long time for me to make this, three days total. 65 pages of pure Danganronpa at it's finest. You'll get answers to all your questions, and questions to all your new questions, you'll meet new characters and see just what everyone is about to face, the finale is here, and it's big. 42 pages of this alone compose the class trial. This has been long in the making, and I hope you all like it. and if you don't, well...i don't know what to tell you. Hopefully, I did the series justice with my take on the narrative, and I hope you all loved it.**

 **Now that this is the end however, I will be focusing a bit more on the prequel, The End of Hope's Peak Academy. This will not be the end of Yuno and his rag tag team of survivors, oh no, they will be back in the near future. Danganronpa Another Episode Ultimate Despair Sisters will start soon, and will entirely from the Point of view of Yukki Maizono, Kotoko Utsugi and Akira Tetsujima, two sisters and the one who will not only protect them, but lead them back to their siblings who are waiting in the Remnants of Hope Headquarters. I don't know when this story will start or when it will even be posted, but keep your eye on it, as it will lead into the sequel of the series, The School Trip of Mutual Killing: Welcome to Dangan Island. This story will be within the Neo World Program, on Jabberwock Island. It took me awhile to decide, whether I wanted Hajime Hinata to be the main character, but I decided to make it a story told from Hiyoko's point of view, as she makes it through the Program, and her own despair filled Killing game, along with Daisuke and the rest of Class 77, most of them being oblivious to everything happening around them. It will be a high stakes game of Hope and Despair, and it will not be exactly as they planned, far from it in fact.**

 **I have my plate full it seems, with this series alone, but I will work hard to bring you the same quality content that you all despairingly need. And I assure you, the sequels will be better than the first one. And if you want to read another really good Danganronpa story, be sure to check out Danganronpa, the Spirit of Vengeance, written by Code-Emperor07. I had the privilege of reading this story before it was posted, and let me tell you, it was an amazing read all the way to the end. The story only has one chapter at the moment, but please do check it out, it will be worth your time, I promise.**

 **I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my story, both parts of them and submitted oc's to it. It's thanks to all of you that this story got as good as it did, without you i wouldn't have had the motivation to write it, so this is yours as much as it's mine, so please give yourselves a pat on the back, you all deserve it.**

 **And now, with all of that out of the way, I present you the final chapter of The School Life of Mutual Killing. Leave a review telling me how I did, and honestly, Thank you guys, for being there and reading this story from beginning to end.**

 **Update: 7/2/17: Chapter 6 Act 2 has been edited and re uploaded. This contains various grammar fixes and continuity fixes. It also includes some added content during the class trials, as well as some other added things.**

Danganronpa

The School Life of Mutual Killing

Chapter 6

Act 2

Goodbye Academy of Despair

The doors to the elevator opened up, revealing the Class Court Room. It had changed once more, now bearing it's original décor. With a nod, Yuno lead everyone into the room, all of them taking their stands. The portraits of the deceased were placed all around them, as if mocking them for making it this far, though Yuno felt relieved at their presence. He could feel their hope within himself, and he knew he wasn't going to let them down. Monokuma stood up from his seat, clapping his hands.

"Alright then, this is it students of Hope's Peak Academy. An all or nothing class trial of all class trials. If you can solve the mystery of Hope's Peak Academy, and solve the murder of one Mukuro Ikusaba, then you all get to go free. However, if you don't, then all of you will face your punishment. Since this is the final trial, I will be taking part as well." Monokuma said.

He took Ryouko's stand, forcing the girl to go into one of the other stands, ironically enough it had been the one belonging to Junko Enoshima, though Yuno felt that was the bear's intention.

"Okay then, since this is the class trial and you'll be participating, then I'm sure you won't mind answering our questions. Let's get to it, who the hell is controlling you?" Byakuya snapped, pointing at the bear.

"Ah, short, sweet and to the point. I like that, but I was expecting one of the others to get to it first." he replied.

"I am merely taking the leading role in this case, at least for now." the man said.

"I think he should answer the question, especially because all of you are involved with the mastermind." Leon snapped, looking at everyone in the room.

"What? That's a bullshit lie man." Makoto said.

"Oh yeah, then why are you all in this picture, but I'm not in it?" he asked.

He was holding up a picture, showing everyone that had been killed, along with those still alive. The picture had been taken in the gym, during a dodgeball game, and Leon had been the only one that hadn't been in it.

"Hey, don't start spewing crap, after all you could be in bed with the mastermind too, I'm not in the picture I was given." Hina replied.

"Guys, calm down. It's obvious the pictures are just being used so we can all be against each other. That's why he gave them to us in the first place." Yuno said.

"Are you sure about that man? It seems highly suspicious." Leon said.

"I'm positive. Remember the Whack-a-Mole motive? It was the same thing, he wanted us to be at each others throats. It's obvious that these pictures are for that purpose." the purple haired teen replied.

"That does make a lot of sense. That's the reason I didn't bring mine, I smelled it a mile away." Kyoko said, her face calm and collected.

"So, even you caught on to it...though...I'd like to do something, could I see everyone's pictures? I want to check something out first." Yuno said. Everyone nodded, passing the pictures to him.

"Okay then, since these pictures are obviously fake, we can discern that they hold no meaning to us whatsoever. So get on with the point, why are we all trapped in this academy? Why we're there only eighteen students when we all walked through those gates three months ago?" Sayaka asked.

"Well, clearly you missed the point. How can you say that those pictures are fake? Just because you don't remember them doesn't mean that they aren't real." Monokuma said.

"What does that even mean?" Mikan snapped, glaring at the bear.

"Jeez, how can you be so dense. Did this year just whiz by you or something?"

"Year? No, it couldn't have been a year, we've been here a few weeks, three months at most, no way it's been a year." Makoto said.

"Hmm...very interesting, I've found something very interesting about these pictures, something that's the same in each one. Why don't you take a look at them Makoto and tell me what you see afterwards?" Yuno asked, handing him the pictures.

"Guys, we can't spend our times pouring over some fake pictures. We need to stay on topic. Answer our question Monokuma, you are totally pulling our leg about us being here for a year right? Because that sounds totally asinine." Hina said.

"No it doesn't. The pictures are real...me, Makoto, Sayaka and Kyoko found a memory card in the Headmaster's personal bedroom, and it had a video file on it. I don't know when it was taken, but I can assure you that the video is 100% legit." Yuno said, holding up the memory card that had been fried.

"So, you are saying that there's a correlation between the pictures and the video? And that makes them real?" Byakuya asked.

"Indeed, none of us remember meeting the headmaster, and none of us remember taking these pictures. All of us have met in the past, and the reason that we don't remember any of it is because all of us are suffering from Amnesia." he said.

"Are you serious? That can't be possible...none of us are showing the typical signs of it." Mikan said.

"Trust me, we are all suffering from it. All of us started getting fragmented memories back throughout the course of our time here, useless insignificant memories, but all of them were the same, fragments of our school life. In the video we agreed to stay locked in the academy for the rest of our lives. If you add amnesia to the mix, then what happened to all of us is nothing short of a tragedy." He said.

"He's telling the truth. Me and Sayaka found old school stuff in the locker room on the second floor dormitory. We found notes written by some guy named Yasuhiro Hagakure, as well as this notebook. It talks about turning the school into a shelter, and I'm certain this was all written by Kyoko." Makoto said, holding the notebook up so they could all see.

"But, we haven't had classes, how can there be school stuff?" Leon asked.

"It ties in with what Yuno said, we all have amnesia. Kyoko, this is your handwriting correct?" Makoto asked.

"That is indeed my handwriting, but I have no recollection of writing it...I see...so that is the case." she said firmly.

"And, in the video you found, where we talk to the Headmaster, what exactly did we say?" Taeko asked curiously.

"We were agreeing to spend the rest of our lives here. It didn't look forced either, we were all for it. I could tell by the expression on our faces and the tone of our voices." Makoto replied firmly.

"Is he saying the truth Monokuma? Are we all suffering from Amnesia?" Byakuya asked firmly.

"Correctamundo! One point to the Ultimate Private Investigator for figuring out the obvious. Man, that was the biggest most obvious clue there was, how was it that it took you this long to figure it out?" Monokuma asked.

"Oh trust me, I knew I had amnesia from day one. After all my most important memories were the ones that were taken...my memories of Kyoko, of Kotoko and most importantly of my father, the Headmaster of this Academy. Those memories were robbed from me, the same way that Ryouko's memories were taken, by using the equipment in the Neuroscience Lab." he said, slamming his fist on his stand.

"But we've never even been there, how can you be so sure about it?" Leon asked.

"If so which memories were removed exactly?" Byakuya added, arms crossed looking indignantly at the monochrome bear.

"Ryouko's diary holds all the answers. She was held captive there and had her mind wiped every single day until she was brought into this cage we called home. That's why she wrote something new every day, because she didn't remember the last thing she had done. However when Hiyoko Saionji killed the one responsible, one Akihiko Shouji, the mastermind had no choice but to put her into the game. And she took the role of the Nineteenth student, but in fact, she wasn't a new student at all." Yuno said firmly.

"Whoa, hold your horses, while it's true that all of your memories were taken from you, you are straying way to far from our main objective. You still have to find who killed Mukuro Ikusaba." the monochrome bear snapped.

"Nice way to keep us on track, but everything is starting to fit together." Taeko said, a smirk on her face.

"Okay then, let's move onto the murder. The body that we found in the Botanic Garden was dressed to look like Mukuro Ikusaba, but that's what we all believed, because we had never met her. The truth of the matter was that it wasn't Mukuro Ikusaba at all. The body showed no signs of it being her. None of the things in the Monokuma file lead me to believe that it was her, and while she was the Ultimate Soldier, a member of the Mercenary group Fenrir, her hands were free of this mark." Kyoko said firmly.

"Another thing I would like to add, when I saw the morgue up in the Biology Lab, seven of the freezers were active, but eight of us had died at this point. So one of those bodies was reused, the scars and wounds on said body matched the ones that Mondo left on Junko when she was murdered. Another thing I would like to say, my attacker was wearing a mask the night they tried to kill me, but I was able to see their hand perfectly, and I didn't see any tattoos either. Her breast size also didn't match that of Mukuro Ikusaba, so I'm willing to say that it was the mastermind who attacked me that night." Makoto said.

He handed the pictures back to Yuno, who placed them in his pocket for the time being.

"So...are you saying that Mukuro Ikusaba was already dead at this point?" Hina asked.

"No, in fact Mukuro Ikusaba is very much alive. Which also ties in to our amnesia, and why we can't remember what she looked like or that she was part of Fenrir. There is one of us in this room who has that tattoo, and she's standing right there." Yuno said, pointing at Ryouko. She furrowed her brows, looking at her hand.

"You mean...this tattoo right?" she asked, flashing the back of her hand to everyone.

"Oh god, Ryouko is part of a mercenary group, she was brought in to kill us all!" Leon exclaimed, causing Taeko to slap him.

"Quiet! We don't need someone to start spewing conspiracies like Nick used to do." she said. Hina glared at her, causing the Gambler to give her one of her famous smiles.

"My apologies Hina, I didn't mean to disrespect."

"It's alright...I forgive you."

"Stay on topic. Are you suggesting that the mastermind not only erased our minds, but also snuck Mukuro Ikusaba into the academy in the guise of Ryouko Otonashi? That makes no sense, why would they do that?" Byakuya said.

"Because it was a means to an end. Don't you see, there is a reason why the mastermind did what they did. Yuno was right, the pictures all have one thing in common. While we were looking at the video file, Monokuma pulled the plug when it showed one particular student. A person that we all thought was dead, one who's face couldn't be seen in any one of the pictures that we were given, a person who we would never think was the mastermind. She gave us all a motive, something that got Bryce to start this whole killing game, and in the end, it was Mondo who supposedly killed her, but not before she switched places with another victim. The mastermind of this School Life of Mutual Killing is none other than Junko Enoshima." Makoto snapped, making everyone gasp.

"What? That is a very bold accusation there my boy. Are you sure you aren't off your rocker?" Monokuma asked.

"It isn't a bold accusation. He's right, twice now you've stopped me from seeing her face, when we were looking at that video file, and on these goddamn pictures." Yuno cried, throwing them onto the ground in the center of the court room. He slammed his fist against the stand, glaring at the bear.

"You did all of this, put us through this hell and had us kill our friends, you took our memories and messed with Mukuro's body in the worst way possible. Now you have the balls to stand there and deny it?" he shouted angrily.

"Of course, with our amnesia, an impostor would have had it made. We weren't in a position to know what the real Junko Enoshima looked like. That means the one we met truly was Mukuro Ikusaba, who was turned into Ryouko Otonashi, but for what purpose?" Byakuya asked curiously, looking at the redheaded girl.

"Hell if I know, I have no idea what's going on, but I do have memories of a few things in my past. I remember my younger sister having that name." she said firmly.

"The Jig is up, so stop hiding already. Face us you coward!" Makoto cried, pointing at Monokuma.

"Grr, a coward me? I'll have you know that word isn't in my vocabulary!" the bear said firmly, before falling limp.

"Bravo, it seems playing dead is your only strong suit." Byakuya said, a smirk on his face.

"You've lost, so admit defeat!" Kyoko said firmly.

"Admit defeat? Oh ho ho, not yet!" the bear exclaimed.

Everyone froze as the room started filling with smoke, shielding them from seeing Monokuma. Yuno could feel Sayaka's firm hold on his hand, her eyes not moving from where she was staring. All at once, the smoke disappeared, revealing the woman they all thought dead, the mastermind of the School Life of Mutual Killing, Junko Enoshima, the _real_ Junko Enoshima.

"Oh bravo, how long I've waited for minds of your caliber to come along!" she exclaimed, her voice having a British accent. Yuno grit his teeth, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"So I was right all along." he muttered dryly.

He had pieced everything together while he was in the Headmaster's office, but now that he was seeing the truth in front of him, he was having a hard time understanding it.

"A fairly common plot twist. Fraternal twins, you see, me and Mukuro are two sides of the same coin, you could say. One was fairly boring, strong willed and skillful in her chosen art, the other, cunning, cunning and extremely beautiful." she said, her voice taking a dark tone.

"That's it...the two despairs...twin sisters." Makoto said, sweat trickling down the side of his face.

Mikan was gripping his arm tightly, tears streaming down her face. Leon stood stock still, unable to believe what he was seeing. Taeko kept a calm visage on her face, though it was clear her struggle to keep it was taking it's toll on her. Byakuya glared at the young woman, more questions appearing on his mind than anything.

Hina took a step back, breathing hard. Ryouko however was indifferent, as she looked at the young woman. Everything was slowly coming back to her, and her rage and fury had finally returned, making her clench her hand.

"Sister." she muttered bitterly.

"Hello there Mukuro. It's good to see the pawn still lives, though I had high hopes that you would end up turning into someones pin cushion." Junko cried, breaking into a loud laughter.

This was her, the Ultimate Despair. Her laughter echoed through the court room, hitting their ear drums, and filling them with nothing but fear and confusion, and despair, so much despair.

"Are you done laughing you bitch? Because I don't find this funny, not a single fucking bit!" Yuno snapped, causing the woman to stop.

"Well, it seems that attitude of yours is coming back. Perhaps I wasn't thorough enough." she replied, tugging a strand of her hair.

"You and Ikusaba are...sisters...then why." Byakuya asked, getting her attention.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do this to her? She looks nothing like her profile picture, she's a completely different person. Not only that you had her almost get killed, does family mean nothing to you?" he asked.

"Pfft, you are funny. You wanna know why I did that? Because Mukuro Ikusaba was a pawn, a little chess piece on the chessboard that was the School Life of Mutual Killing, and like all pawns, she outlived her usefulness. Once she was outta the game, all she did was piss me off, so I had her shipped over to the lab and gave her a rocking body, now she'll surely get a boyfriend, maybe get herself laid." Junko replied, breaking into laughter once more.

"You...how dare you do this to me? I don't remember anything about you and yet, I feel all this pent up anger. I have nothing but love for you sister, and yet you deny me that?" Ryouko cried out through grit teeth.

"Please? All of the love in the world wouldn't make me see you in a new light. You were nothing but a pawn, from the moment you were born, to everything that we did together. Matter of fact, you weren't even a good Ultimate Despair, always relying on me. Please...you are nothing more than a useless tool." she replied.

"Hey that's enough. There's no need for you to treat her like that." Makoto snapped, earning an eyeroll from the Fashionista.

"Okay, then I pose a new question, how were you able to pull this off?" Kyoko asked. Junko smirked, placing a pair of glasses on and clearing her throat, as her Teacher Persona took over.

"For this plan to work out like a well oiled machine, we needed someone to stay behind the scenes. Someone to control Monokuma and keep an eye on all of you, the proverbial mastermind if you will. But after conducting my preliminary analysis, I was able to determine that Mukuro wasn't apt to handle the job. You see, she was the weaker minded of the two, the type of person who needed reassurance, the one who would instantly jump at the chance to join a mercenary group. Her personality was Super Duper Boring, Super Duper Yucky, Super Duper Gross. My personality on the other hand, my Personality was Fun, Loving and amazingly popular. I couldn't let it fall into obscurity." she said firmly.

"Uh...what the hell?" Leon muttered, confused by the girl's chance of attitude.

"So you switched places?" Kyoko asked, earning a nod from the strawberry blonde.

"Indeed. You see, Mukuro tended to behave like a supporting character, and in RPGs, it's always the supporting character that dies early on. So it made sense to make it that way, but I had another plan for her, and so while Mondo stabbed her in the hallway, I had a body double take her place. That was the person that he ended up killing, while sweet little Mukuro lived another day. However, I realized another thing, I should have let her die. Suffice it to say, the wretch over stayed her welcome." she said, finishing her monologue.

"You mean to tell me, you tried to killed her off, to please your viewers? Not only that, but you switched her with someone else? Who the hell did Mondo kill?" Makoto asked. Junko snapped her fingers, and an image appeared on screen.

It was of a young woman, with long honey blonde hair, reaching down to her waist. She was wearing the Hope's Peak Academy Uniform, and had a bright smile on her face. Her hazel eyes seemed to be full of light and hope. She had light creamy skin, free of blemishes, and was wearing a bit of eyeliner to make her eyes stand out more. Overall, she was very beautiful, but what was alarming was her resemblance to the Ultimate Fashionista.

"This young woman here was our cousin, Serenity Enoshima. She was an up and coming student here in Hope's Peak Academy, having earned the title of Ultimate Make-up Artist. She was responsible for making moi presentable every morning. However, when I tried turning her onto my side, she outright refused me. She didn't see things my way and went as far as tell someone about it, a beautiful young woman named Yuriko Kirigiri, ring any bells?" she asked.

"No...no it can't be." Yuno said.

"Yes, with this knowledge, Yuriko was going to tell the Headmaster of this fine institution, and that would have brought our plan down, so she had to be...um...silenced if you will, and what better way than to use my pawns over at the Reserve Course? They turned her into a pinata, and a pin cushion. A real shame that she was lost to us, but I couldn't take any chances. As for my sweet little cousin, she was kept as a captive until the time was right. She was tossed into the bedroom without even knowing what was going to happen and Mondo silenced her. Poor bastard, he didn't even know he had killed his girlfriend, and he never will." she said, giving Yuno a wink.

"How could you? You did this to your sister, your cousin, and you had an innocent woman killed for no reason? How can you not be bothered by any of it?" Makoto snapped.

"Oh, silly me. I think we all forgot what this academy was all about." Junko said, adopting a cute look. She balled her hands, bringing them close to her face.

"This academy was created to celebrate despair not honor family ties! When you think about it, from the second we are born, crying and wailing were are gifted with nothing but suffering and death. In other words, Murder is nothing more than a euphemism for what we are going to face, so what does it matter how we get there?" she asked, going back to her crazy persona.

All of these personality changes were starting to piss Yuno off, but he kept his calm. He wiped his tears away, taking a deep breath.

"Enough, I could careless about sibling rivalries and your family members." Byakuya said, clearly annoyed.

"I don't understand this at all. I know it has something to do with our amnesia, but I can't link the pieces up." Hina said.

"Yeah well, when you put it that way, loosing your memories is a blessing in disguise." Junko said, now in her depressed persona.

"Uh, no it isn't. I don't agree with this." Leon snapped.

"Hmm, well maybe this will jog your memory. Feast your eyes on this!" Junko cried, snapping her fingers.

The screens behind her shifted to live footage, showing several monuments and historical places. The Eiffel Tower, the Washington Monument, the Sphinx, and the Statue of Liberty, all bearing the face of Monokuma. Everyone was slacked jawed at what they were seeing. The scene shifted, showing a large Monokuma punching a building, down on the streets everyone was running around, destroying everything in sight, all of them wearing Monokuma helmets.

"All of you have been begging and bitching to be let go and see the outside world. Well as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for!" Junko cried, breaking into laughter once more.

"What is this?" Taeko asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Gah, I can't wrap my head around this, this all makes no sense!" Leon snapped.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real." Sayaka cried, chanting that over and over while holding onto Yuno's hand.

"Yeah well, a more appropriate term for this would be, Post Apocalyptic Hellscape." Depressed Junko said, tugging at a strand of hair.

"This is it...the Most Despair Inducing Event in all of Human History." Yuno said, not tearing his eyes from the screen.

"What? You recognize this?" Mikan asked, earning a nod from Yuno.

"It's all...coming back to me now. It all started after the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, after my mother's death and the mass suicide of the Reserve Course. The rioting broke out of the academy, and soon enough, the normal people were attacking the privileged, the rich, anyone with talent. A lot of people got caught in the middle of it, and soon enough, everyone started mass-rioting. The Governments toppled over, and the people were left scattered. People waged war for the sake of waging war, it had no purpose. The world that was left behind turned into this, almost overnight. It was horrible, the death...so much death." He said, eyes wide.

"This is ridiculous. It makes no sense at all." Byakuya snapped angrily.

"Ridiculous? We have tons of ridiculous, tragic comedy after tragic comedy, just pick something to focus on. The Togami Conglomerate for example." Junko said, looking right at the young man.

"What...what are you getting at?"

"You silly goose, I'm talking about what happened to your people." Cute Junko said, snapping her fingers. The footage was replaced with a crude multiple choice quiz.

" _What Happened to the Togami Family?"_

All of the answers were the same, the Togami Family all Perished. An answer was finally picked and Junko clapped her hands.

"That's right, all of them died! The deaths of the Togami family and anyone associated with them is confirmed!" she exclaimed.

"That's impossible. The name Togami strikes fear into everyone's hearts, we are the Alpha and the Omega!" he cried.

"Well the Omega happened a year ago, your homies are nothing but piles of ash and bone, so suck it!" Junko cried loudly.

"What? That makes no sense. We've only been here for three months, this couldn't have happened in such a short amount of time. I remember everything was fine when I walked through those gates. Granted our memories are gone, but if it was the hellscape that you say it is, we'd have known." Makoto said.

"Are you sure about that? Think about it long and hard!" Junko said, clutching her Monokuma plush tightly in her arms.

"Stop messing around, we only set foot in this academy a few weeks ago. Give it to us straight." Hina said.

"Time is relevant after all, I can't believe three years escaped you all so easily." She said.

"Of course, there's only one answer to that, the very obvious one that we've been discussing for the last few minutes." Ryouko said, looking at Makoto and Yuno.

"You don't mean, amnesia right? But it doesn't make sense." Makoto said.

"No...it perfectly does. We don't have normal amnesia, our memories were taken from us, let's just say we didn't get a few months worth of memories taken, what if we had three years worth of memories taken? Even worse, me and Kyoko had all of our memories taken, hers completely while I had fabricated ones about who I was. It's entirely possible this is what truly happened." Yuno said.

"It can't be...this isn't happening!" Sayaka cried, tears running down her cheeks. Yuno hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead.

"Three years...we had three years taken from us?" Taeko said, her poker face finally breaking. She was scared again, a feeling that she hated wholeheartedly.

"Upupupupu! That's right, three long years had went away like that, poof. All ashes scattered in the wind!" Junko said, imitating Monokuma's voice.

"Three whole years of our lives gone!" Makoto said.

"Which means the people we thought were perfect strangers were actually, our friends." Kyoko added.

"Everyone of us...we knew each other, and yet we just...murdered one another. Everyone we knew, all of the ones we lost...they were...Jesus Christ up in heaven." Leon muttered, looking down at the ground.

"Kinda takes the phrase, killing each other off to a whole new level of damn! To think, the first year was nothing short of hopeful, we all laughed and joked around, until I was called away to a fashion shoot. Once I returned, our second year had started, and it only took one year for hope to dissipate. Hope's Peak Academy wasn't spared from this tragedy either, 99% of the Student Body perished, horribly." Junko said.

"Which makes you the last of your graduating class, what a bummer right?" Depressed Junko finished.

"Even...even if all of the students died, there still is something that doesn't make sense. Mikan is part of class 77, everyone here aside from me, class 78, and Bryce and Nick, part of class 79. Those three classes, they hold a significance for you, so you had to have members of them in this academy from the get go, for sentimentality reasons." Yuno said.

"Hmm, you are correct. While 99% of the alumni perished horribly, three classes managed to survive, Class 77B who are my most prized pawns, responsible of making my world filled with despair a reality, and the class that Mikan Tsumiki belongs to. In fact, she was the first to fall into my own mentality." Teacher Junko said, looking at the nurse.

"What? I don't remember any of this? I would never willingly kill anyone, and I would never fall to despair to the likes of you." Mikan snapped angrily.

"Ah, but you did. Sweet little Mikan, no one loved you, not even your so called boyfriend, the one who saved you from your bullies. You grew concerned over your missing friend, and that lead you to me. I turned you into my puppet. Eyes on the screen please." she said, snapping her fingers.

The pictures of Class 77B appeared on screen, all of them having crimson eyes. Their names bore into their minds, especially Yuno's. He saw two familiar ones, Daisuke Del Rio, and Hiyoko Saionji, twisted expressions were on their faces, their eyes glowing crimson.

"Everyone, meet your upperclassmen, the ones responsible for killing everyone in Hope's Peak Academy. Young minds filled with hopes and dreams, all of them gathered by the academy for their amazing talents, talents that I put to use. The Monokuma bots that are tearing cities apart and polluting the air, created by Kazuichi Souda, the Ultimate Mechanic. The food that's poisoning millions as we speak, cooked by Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Chef. Who destroyed her own country while forcing her rule all over the world? Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess.

Who attracted people to them using their dance skills and musical abilities? Hiyoko Saionji and Ibuki Mioda. Oh, and my favorite pawn of them all, the one who called himself the leader of Ultimate Despair, the one who turned 267 Reserve Course students into Despair. The one responsible for kick starting the Parade and getting dear old Yuno's mommy killed. Daisuke Del Rio, the Ultimate Story Teller. He's also the author and creator of the very game you are playing right now." She said, a grin on her face.

"What...what do you mean by that?" Yuno asked, earning a giggle from her. She tossed a book to him, one named Distrust.

"Skim through it, you'll be surprised. But you see now, all of them are Ultimate Despair, through and through, and it was thanks to you, Mikan Tsumiki, that they became this way, it was you that lead _her_ to her death. It was her death that turned you all into Despair loving monsters. Pat yourself on the back...it is a great accomplishment." Junko said, clapping her hands. Yuno flipped through the book, seeing a bunch of highlighted areas. His eyes widened in shock.

"She's right...Daisuke did create this game...he wrote about it in this book...even the part where the class rep gets betrayed by someone."

"Indeed, and that someone was you Mikan, congratulations! You got Chiaki Nanami permanently derezzed from this world. You could say she ran out of lives during her execution!" Junko said cheerfully.

"NO...it isn't possible...I would never...I would never betray my friends!" Mikan cried, tears running down her face. Makoto hugged her tightly, glaring at Junko.

"That's enough, stop twisting our minds. There is no way Sixteen kids were able to destroy the world, not in that short amount of time!" He said.

"Ah, I knew you would doubt me. It is true, they had a hand in it all, but they didn't fully destroy the world. They destroyed the academy, killing those who sought out their own place among the alumni. It's sort of ironic, the Academy of Hope, plunged into Despair by it's own students...I'm sure I read it in a book somewhere." she said, a smirk on her face.

"What of my classmates? Those belonging to Class 79 of Hope's Peak Academy?" Yuno asked. Junko turned to him her face glowering with anger.

"Those wretches did nothing. As soon as they saw the world turn to shit, they high tailed it outta here and hid, for an entire year inside a bunker. Such pussies, they didn't deserve title of Ultimate Students, not when they were supposed to fight for hope. But at least all of them didn't hide, four of them fell into despair, two of them are dead currently, take a guess at which one of them was the closest to all of you?" she asked, glaring right at Bryce's portrait.

"This is madness!" Leon said softly.

"Nope, this is Sparta!" Junko cried, giggling to herself like a school girl.

"Nothing makes sense...nothing is...it's hopeless." Sayaka muttered.

"Hey, let's not give up just yet! We can't afford to lose, not now, not when we have made it this far!" Yuno said firmly.

"I agree with him, even though it looks rough...we have to pull through!" Makoto added.

"So, Class 77B who plunged the world into Despair, and Class 79 who ran and hid when everything went to shit. All of them don't hold a candle to dear Class 78. Now, lets answer another question, who was it that turned this place into a shelter? Who was it that trapped you all in here, may I have a guess?" Teacher Junko asked.

"It was the guy who previously ran this place. The Headmaster, Jin Kirigiri, he wanted to protect us. He didn't know it would turn into this." Makoto said, slamming his fist against the stand.

"Whoops, his bad. I almost feel sad for the poor oblivious bastard. He didn't know that despair would worm it's way in disguised as two sisters, or that the definition between shelter and prison would bleed into one until it all melted into a mushroom cloud of death and despair." Junko said, once again through Monokuma.

"Stop insulting him! He did nothing but care for all of us, he cared for you! He wanted you to thrive and live through this, but you played him like a fool, and I won't have you insult his memory anymore!" Yuno shouted angrily. Junko smirked, once again in her teacher persona.

"Ah, that reminds me. The ones who decorated the windows and doors with iron, that was all of you. In your delusion and paranoia over everything that was happening, you sealed yourselves in the academy. It was dear old Yuno who drove the truck filled with Iron plates, screws, wrenches and two years worth of food." She said, pushing her glasses up her face.

"No way, we sealed ourselves in? All this time we've been wanting to leave a prison we made?" Leon snapped, clutching his hair tightly in his hands.

"Indeed, once this place was locked up tight, me and Mukuro here begun our plan. The School Life of Mutual Killing was going to be the biggest most despair inducing program the world had ever seen. I even added subtitles to it!" She said cheerfully.

"Stop bringing me into this. It only hurts hearing it from you, the fact that I did this to my own comrades, this disgusts me to my core." Ryouko snapped, spitting at the ground.

"Deny it all you want dear sister, but the truth of the matter is, you had your hand in the smelting pot of despair. You were the one who agreed to it, and you were the one who took part in it. _Upupupupupu!"_

"So...you kept us alive...you kept us alive to get your sick kicks from watching us die." Hina snapped, glaring at the two sisters. Ryouko lowered her head, looking at the ground.

"Hina, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. Over the last few weeks, my life here has been great, I was treated kindly by all of you...most of you anyway, and I felt like I had genuine friends. But discovering that I had a hand in all of this, in creating your despair, in killing our friends. It pains me, it makes me look like a disgusting animal, and I deserve nothing more than death." Ryouko said.

"Shut the hell up!" Yuno cried out, grabbing everyones attention.

"It may be true that you had something in all of this, but it doesn't matter now. You didn't kill any of our friends, sure people died and that can't be fixed, their lives can't be returned, but you are still my friend. I would die any day of the week if it meant saving your life!" he said firmly.

"Pfft, I am having a hard time believing that you would die for a useless pawn like her." Junko said.

"I took Makoto's execution, surely that answers your question right? No matter the situation, no matter the consequences, I would die for any of my friends, if it means giving up my life for them to live another day, then put me in the guillotine." he said. This only seemed to make her laugh even harder.

"But...why go this far? Why have all of us kill each other?" Makoto asked.

"Well, the outside world, suffice it to say, still has a lot of people who are fighting for a better quality of life. I took it upon myself to squash out that hope, to give them a sense of perspective. I like to see myself as an educator." She said firmly. Makoto nodded to himself, closing his eyes. His eyes snapped open, realization hitting him like a sack of bricks.

"That's it...I get it now, you hijacked the airwaves." he exclaimed.

"Correct, just imagine their wide eyed looks of horror as I shatter their hope to pieces. After all, the students of this academy are supposed to be the future Hope of the world. Reality is a bitter pill to swallow, isn't it? How does it feel? To uncover the mystery? To arrive at the end of the trail and be greeted with nothing but despair?" she asked, looking at everyone, that smirk on her face.

"You...you meant for this to happen. You wanted us to solve this mystery, your entire plan hinged on us discovering the truth." Kyoko said, causing everyone to gasp in realization.

"Cleaver girl! Would you discovering the truth not be consistent with my design as a whole? What better way than to show the world true and utter misery at its finest." Junko replied.

"That is...all kinds of fucked up." Makoto said, only making the young woman laugh.

Everyone just looked down at the ground, their faces twisted into nothing but utter despair. Their hearts were beating, and tears flowed from their eyes, they couldn't believe any of it. It wasn't real, none of it was real, but the more they got into this mystery, the more real it became.

Yuno spared a look at all of his friends, seeing just how full of despair they were, especially Ryouko. Her hair was covering her face, and she was trembling a bit, and breathing hard. He honestly feel sorry for her.

"Guys...I know it looks grim but...we can't just...fall into despair." Yuno said.

"Get real man, look at the world outside. Nothing is alive anymore, nothing we knew is still around, we are all that remains of the previous world." Leon said.

"You got that wrong! There are plenty of people out there, and they are watching this right now. If we fall into despair now, and start accepting the shit that's streaming out of Junko's goddamn mouth, than we are no better than her. We have to stand up and face reality head on! Because if we don't then we are following her plan. Even if we are executed, she will win the game, and we can't afford that!" Yuno cried loudly, startling his friends.

"He's right. We have to stay positive, if we don't...then we'll just play into her hands." Makoto said.

"Who are you working for?" Kyoko said, glaring at Junko, who tilted her head in confusion.

"Beg pardon?"

"I don't buy that two teenage girls orchestrated this entire thing. The tactical genius behind it is beyond understanding. Who are you working for? A crime syndicate? Some rich family?" she asked.

"Multiple choice is it? None of the above I'm afraid. Who I work for is far more...abstract. You see despair spreads through everyone like a plague, that is to say, it spreads geometrically. Once the seeds of despair are deeply rooted in, all fragments of hope are wiped clean, replaced with nothing but beautiful despair." she replied.

"I...I don't believe any of this. You expect us to swallow this bullshit without a shred of evidence?" Makoto shouted, making her laugh. Junko's teacher persona once again took over, pushing her glasses onto her face.

"I hope that isn't your way of calling me a liar." She said.

"I don't give a shit if you are lying. I just don't wanna loose to you, we owe it to the ones who died!" he cried.

"Hmm, a pragmatist are we? Is that how you stay positive? Well, I would love to stay and discuss the finer points of ontology, but it seems time is up!" she said.

"What? Time isn't up, it can't be up!" Yuno cried out.

"Well, we can't stay here and jibber jabber all day now can we. We gotta step up to the plate and vote, and since this is a last vote, there is a last minute rule change. All of you gummy bears will represent Hope, and I'll represent Despair. If even a single vote goes against Hope, all of you will die together like a big happy family." Cute Junko said, pursing her lips.

"Wait, even just one?" Hina asked.

"Of course, I will abstain. It wouldn't be fair to stack the deck." she replied in her Monokuma voice.

"That is way unfair. The vote is totally against us." Leon replied.

"No it isn't. If you think about it, the vote is in our favor, who would want to vote for an execution?" Makoto asked.

"That is true." the baseball star replied.

"Oh, but let me paint you all a picture. If I win, you all die...of old age..your punishment is to live out the rest of your miserable lives trapped within the walls of this academy with little old me!" Junko cried, a grin on her face.

"So...if we lose, we'll have to live here as prisoners for the rest of our lives." Hina said.

"Hell, don't knock it. At least we would still have lives." Ryouko muttered dryly.

"Guys, you can't give up just yet. I know what you are trying to do and I am not falling for it!" Yuno howled, slamming his fists against the stand.

"Well lookie here, we got a rebel. Well we can't risk this ending without a death now can we? So how about another change, if you vote Hope down, two people will die and the rest of you will live. After all, no one paid for the last class trial. I know just the two who will die a gruesome despair filled death." Junko said, pointing at Makoto and Yuno, who shared the same angered look on their face.

"That's right. The two of you will die for your friends to live, isn't that ironic? Yuno saved Makoto, only for the two of them to die together. If I was into yaoi, that would be so totally amazing!" she said, rubbing he breasts, a lewd look on her face.

"A sacrifice? No you can't." Makoto said.

"This is looking very grim for us...and after everything we've done. It all hangs in the balance of our vote." Yuno added firmly.

"What's wrong? Having a hard time believing your friends would take the high road to save their asses?" Junko asked.

"That's not it at all. They wouldn't...guys?" Makoto asked, looking around the room. Everyone was much in the same state, the same despair filled looks on their faces.

"Mikan...please you wouldn't...would you?" he asked softly, placing his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders.

She didn't even look into his eyes, to focused on what she and her class had done to even reply. Yuno was in much the same state, not getting a single reply from Sayaka. It seemed as if Junko had truly and utterly broken them.

"Oh right, I almost forgot! The world outside is completely uninhabitable. In fact, the only thing keeping all of us alive is that Air Purifier on the Third Floor. I'm isometrically connected to it, so if I die, it will cease to work and you'll be forced to leave. Hope's Peak Academy will go out of commission. I did mention the outside world is a place filled with death and pollution right?" Junko said, in her ditzy blonde girl voice.

Yuno grit his teeth. This new discovery really did put a damper on things. They had remained alive for so long, only because of that machine on the third floor. Any one of them chose to side with Junko and they wouldn't just pay the price with their sacrificed, but they would have to leave the academy.

He took a deep breath, taking Sayaka's hand in his own. He gave it a kiss, a smile on his face. Her eyes were glazed over, her face filled with nothing but despair, but that single act seemed to bring a bit of light into them.

"Nice try...but we would never give into your bullshit. I promised my girlfriend we would get married, and in order to do that we have to leave this fucking academy, who gives a shit if it's uninhabitable, we'll fucking find a place to live, even if I have to tear the ground apart and grow plants myself, I will make it happen." he exclaimed.

"Oh right, I almost forgot one little important detail. There is a little surprise that I've been with holding from everyone here, the life of someone I think you both need to know about." she said, snapping her fingers.

The camera feed cut off, showing what looked to be a bedroom. Laying on top of the bed, was a little girl, drawing something in a sketch pad. She stopped drawing briefly to pop a few gummies into her mouth, before continuing with her drawing.

"A...girl? A little girl?" Makoto asked.

"Great, not only are you a fucking murderer, but you also kidnap children? You make me sick." Yuno said.

"Funny thing really, I didn't kidnap this one. I would like you all to meet my little bundle of joy, little Junko Kirigiri." she said, a loving smile on her face.

"Kirigiri?" Sayaka asked quietly.

"Jesus Christ, please don't tell me you and the headmaster...really?" Leon asked.

"As if, I would never sleep with a sleezeball older man. What kind of person do you think I am? No, this little bundle of joy came from a relationship that me and Yuno had, three and a half years ago, just before I left on my fashion show. It was hard to hide it, but when I finally gave birth, the sweet despair I felt was second to none. I had my sister care for her while I took care of everything. I've spared her life from the outdoors, and told her nothing about who I truly I am.

I've been taking care of her just as a mother should. If you all vote against despair, and you kill me, then this little girl will be subjected to the outside world. Is that what you want Yuno? Do you want your daughter to die because of your mistakes? To die from a flu virus because she hasn't been inoculated? To die because there's no fresh food or water, is that what you truly want?" Junko asked firmly.

"This...isn't true. The only person I've been with is Sayaka...I've never had a kid with anyone." Yuno snapped.

Junko snapped her fingers once more, another video appearing on screen. This time, it was one of the two of them, just before Yuno had entered Hope's Peak Academy for the first time.

" _Is something wrong Junie? I'm very busy right now and I can't spare another moment...I'm close to solving this murder case, and I'm sure it's Genocide Jack and not Sparkling Justice like the news reports say."_ he said firmly.

" _Um...I don't know how to say this but...I've been called to Milan for a fashion show, and I'll be gone for awhile. I know we just started dating and all but..."_

" _It's alright. Junko, if you want me to wait for you, all you had to do was ask. I'll wait for as long as I need too."_ Yuno replied, giving her a kiss on the lips. She giggled, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

" _I'm so lucky to have run into you at that bus stop...I think you are the perfect guy for me. I know we've only been together for four months but...what would you say to us having a baby?"_

" _Uh what?"_

" _A baby silly. What would you say if I told you I was pregnant?"_ she asked.

" _I would ask who it belongs too, because I've only had sex with you once."_

" _I...sort of lied to you about being on the pill...sorry...I wanted our first time to be real and genuine. I know it was a mistake but...please don't be mad."_ she said, lowering her gaze. Instead of being mad, Yuno just picked her head up, looking right into her eyes.

" _Sweetheart, I think you and I will be the best parents in the whole wide world. What should we name it?"_ he asked.

" _Well, I'm pretty sure it's a little girl. I can feel it, if it is...would you mind if I called her Junko? I think it would be a good name for her."_

" _Jeez, don't be so full of yourself sweetie. I think we should name her something else, maybe something foreign...maybe a name like Francheska?"_

" _Mmm...nope...I think Junko is going to be her name."_ she said, crossing her arms. He rolled his eyes, kissing her lips.

" _You are so stubborn you know that. But we're so young...I'm only sixteen, maybe we should have waited a bit, after all you are older than me. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone about it, not until we're ready...knowing my mother, she would probably force me to marry you, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet!"_ he said in a joking manner.

" _Boo, don't be like that. After all, you did get accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. If you graduate, your life will be made, and we can live in style. Little Junko will be the happiest girl in the world."_ she said, a loving look on her face.

" _I can't wait to meet her, even if we are teenage parents, I'll love her every day of her life, until the day I die, just like I love you."_ he replied, an equally loving look on his face.

"And scene. How did you like it?" Junko asked, looking back at Yuno, who had lost all the emotions on his face. He was pale, sweating, his eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated. He couldn't believe it...he didn't want to believe it.

"You...have a daughter with her?" Sayaka asked.

"No...It isn't true...I don't remember ever meeting her before this!" he exclaimed.

"Of course, in order for us to find out if the memory erasing machine worked, we needed a test subject. I was able to convince its creator to do a dry run on someone. That someone was dear old Hisashi Kirigiri. The poor sap remembers none of this." Junko said, earning a growl from Yuno.

"That event also falls into the three year mark. It's safe to say that she probably erased your memory of ever meeting you, even after you consummated a relationship with her. You've never met that child, because in your mind, you never realized you had her in the first place." Kyoko said, still not believing what she had seen. That was it...the coup de gras. Yuno didn't know what to do anymore.

"Pfft...is that all you got?" Makoto asked, looking at the fashionista.

"Huh?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You keep constantly trying to break us, but we aren't breaking! Who gives a shit about the outside world? That's not where hope is! Hope is a state of mind!" Makoto cried.

"Um...alright. I'm sure we all appreciate this little talk. But the time has come to put it to a vote." Junko said, a smirk appearing on her face.

"So here it is everyone! The grand finale! Tonight Hope dies, and Makoto and Yuno go with it!" Junko cried.

Yuno started laughing, looking up at the Fashionista with the biggest grin he could muster.

"If despair spreads like a plague, and the outside world is nothing but a hellhole, then hope can be the same. We can return the world to it's former glory. We can be patient zero, hope for despair and you'll live sure, but you won't truly live!" Yuno said firmly.

"Yuno, face the facts...all of us..we don't stand a chance out there." Leon said firmly, not even looking.

"Don't give me that bullshit. You've been wanting out of this place since day one. Don't tell me for a second you've given up hope! You'll be able to play baseball again, on a real field, if you stay here that dream will die, is that what you want? To have a talent you won't be able to use ever?" Yuno shouted angrily, firing his proverbial Hope filled Truth Bullet. What he said seemed to shake Leon out of his thoughts, a smile on his face.

"You're right. I am not giving up hope just because of all the bullshit that is going on outside. I'll rally whoever is left, and we'll play baseball until the crack of dawn, and then some." Leon said proudly, stepping away from his stand, standing next to Yuno.

"Taeko, you've had a dream of one day owning your own European Castle. Sure, money is useless, and the world is destroyed, but we can rebuild. Isn't that a gamble in itself? Don't you want to beat this game and come out a winner instead of a loser? Because that's all you'll be if you side with despair, a filthy fucking loser!" he cried. Taeko's eyes opened, and she glared right at Junko, a smile on her face.

"You stupid fucking whore! I've been a part of your game for too long, but this is where we have our showdown. Sorry sweetheart, but your Full house isn't going to beat my Royal Flush, not by long shot." she said, standing next to Leon, the two shared a brief kiss, glaring back at their captor.

"Asahina, you can't give in. Think about it, we have to move on, for the ones that didn't make it. We get to live because they didn't, we carry their hope on our shoulders!" Makoto said.

"What...what would Sakura say? What would Nick say?" she asked quietly.

"Well, for one they wouldn't take this lying down. They would stand up and fight, and they would beat despair to the ground, with everything they've got. We carry the burden of their hope with us." Makoto said. The swimmer looked up, a smile on her face.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, that's what Sakura would say. Or, when the going gets tough, the tough kicks ass, that's what she would say, definitely the last one. As for Nick, as long as there was enough Mountain Dew left in the world, he would have been extremely happy." Hina said, standing by Makoto's side. He looked over at the Affluent Progeny, who was still sulking in his stand.

"Byakuya, I get that your family is dead and that you don't have a penny to your name, but think about it. Your family isn't dead, this is where you can restart everything, build it all back from the ground up, and make a conglomerate that would make your family proud. Don't bow down yet, show them that the Togami family is meant to be feared! Get off your ass an restake your family's claim!" Makoto shouted, snapping the Affluent Progeny out of his delusions.

"Well played good sir, but the esteemed Byakuya Togami needs no encouragement from you!" he said firmly, a smile on his face.

"Welcome back buddy!" Makoto said, turning to his girlfriend. She was shivering in place, sweat covering her forehead, and he swore her eyes were glowing red.

"Mikan, I don't understand what you are going through. It must be horrible, all of the people that died because of what you and your class did, I can't begin to describe that feeling. But you can't just take this lying down, you have to look to the skies and admit your mistakes. You took lives sure, but you have the ability to save lives too. You are the Ultimate Nurse for a reason, so use that talent to save people, the world could always use another hero." he said firmly.

She looked up at him, her eyes glowing a vibrant lilac. She smiled firmly, pressing her lips against his own, practically swallowing his face. She pulled away from him, giving him a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll never give into despair again, I'll do everything I can to heal the wounded, I'll save lives, just like I saved yours and Taeko's." she said firmly.

"Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, and Ultimate Despair...that is what you were known as. One of the ones responsible for plunging the world into hell...I get it, you feel like shit for following after your sister's lead. You wanted her to love you, but clearly she didn't have a single shred of love in that twisted black hole she calls a heart. She used you, treated you like a pawn, a tool...went as far as changing who you were, just for her own sick game. But look at the bright side, you are missing your memories, you remember nothing of what you did. So you get to have a clean slate!" Yuno said.

"Clean slate? I of all people don't deserve a clean slate...don't you see this? It all happened because of me." Ryouko snapped, looking away from him.

"No! You were a victim, just as much as the rest of us are. But you can't give up and you can't give in. Because if you do, then you are not any better than the your sister. Stand up for yourself, stop living under her shadow, fucking act. Be your own goddamn person, you don't need her love, you never did. You are a beautiful person who deserves to be happy, and to use her talent the way it was meant to be used, to take out all of the evil in the world. You aren't Mukuro Ikusaba anymore, you are Ryouko Otonashi, a brand new person, free of the burden of despair!" he shouted.

Ryouko looked up at him, her eyes glowing brightly. She pulled out her knife and grabbed a handful of her hair, pressing the knife to it.

"You are right, I am no longer Mukuro Ikusaba. I will not share the burden of despair with my sister, as far as I know, I have no sister. And with this, I throw away my old life, and start a brand new life full of Hope!" she cried out, cutting her hair.

She tossed the red locks aside, stabbing her knife hard into the stand she was at. Her hair now being around shoulder length, looked frayed and split, but she didn't care. This was the new her, and she would be sticking with it.

"Sayaka...I know things are looking grim, the outside world isn't what we remember, the people, your fans...they are most likely among those people that fell to despair. But don't you think it's your duty to bring them back to their senses? You worked so hard, to bring us hope through the power of your voice, that beautiful voice that needs to be heard by everyone still alive. Some of your fans are still out there, watching this right now, and if you give up, not only will they fall to despair, but they will also lose faith in you. You can't do that to them." he said.

"But...my friends...all of them are gone...there's no one out there to enjoy my music...all of them are sick and twisted." she said quietly. He took her hands in his own, making her look into his eyes.

"They are sick and twisted, which is why we'll work together to bring them back into their senses, and once we do...we'll get married, and we'll raise my daughter as our own, away from this hellhole of an academy, and away from her!" he said, glaring at Junko, who was playing with a strand of her hair.

"You're right. You are definitely right Yuno...what was I thinking? Giving up so soon, my final concert will not be today, I will continue to sing until the day I die, and I will not take this lying down. I owe it to my bandmates, and to my little sister." she said. The two of them shared a passionate kiss, hugging each other tightly.

"I'm not ready to be a dad but...I'm sure we'll make the best parents. Besides, little Junko will have tons of godparents who will help us take care of her." He said firmly, looking at his friends.

"Well, it seems you did your best to rally the troops, but looks like you are all missing one!" Junko said, looking at Kyoko.

"Come on Kyoko...you can't give up yet!" Makoto said firmly.

"Don't listen to him, are you going to stand there and ignore everything your daddy did for you? Or are you going to drink their unKoolAid?" Junko said, looking at the Ultimate Detective.

"Don't listen to her Kyoko. Your father did this for you, for all of us, he didn't want hope to die in this academy, he wanted it to thrive." Makoto said.

"You say that but...I don't know what he would have wanted, I barely knew the man." she replied.

"Read between the lines sis...he wanted us to survive, he wanted us to grow, he wanted us to live through the despair so he can create a brighter future. He died for that cause and for those beliefs, so in his name it's our duty to do it in his stead!" Yuno shouted.

"You...you're right. Thank you little brother, for snapping me out of it. He did it all for us, for tomorrow, and decided his charges wouldn't bend like reeds under a current of misery!" she said.

"I knew I could count on you sister." Yuno said, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.

"Thanks for the reality check. You know Makoto, you may look at yourself like a lightning rod, attracting bad luck wherever you go, but throughout everything that happened, you stayed positive, and saw the hope in the situation. Lady Luck doesn't snub you, she depends on you." she said firmly. She turned to face her brother, a smile on her face.

"And you, you went through so much stuff...from loosing your memories, to getting fake ones...to even learning about your daughter...you stayed upbeat, even though it was hard for you. Through all of the despair, you kept going, investigating everything, doing a better job than even I ever could...you may have fallen into Despair, but your Hope was so strong, that it drove away every ounce of Despair in your body, you've been reborn anew...the two of you deserve a new title."

 _ **Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Hope**_

 _ **Yunosuke Kirigiri: Ultimate Hope**_

The two of them chuckled, sharing a high five before looking back at Junko. The lever appeared before them, all grasping it tightly in their hands.

"That's all she wrote. So much for your Despair, Hope wins every time!" Makoto cried out.

"Way to go you two...spouting off...talking about hope and rallying the troops. Screw that, all of you hope loving rainbow freaks can go to hell!" Junko cried.

"It doesn't matter where it comes from now." Makoto said.

"You are an imbecile"

"Maybe it's flat out presumptuous for us to represent Hope!" Yuno added.

"You aren't cute."

"But we aren't going to let you drive us to despair!" Makoto cried.

"You will bow down before me!"

"Ha! Never, I will never bow down to the likes of you, in this battle between Hope and Despair, the clear winner has been proven obvious. And with this we cast the final vote, the vote for freedom, the vote to end all votes, the vote to destroy despair!" Yuno cried. His eyes flashed brightly, one of them turning a bright shade of blue, while the other remained purple.

With a nod, all of the remaining students pulled down the lever, pulling on it so hard that it actually snapped clean off the ground. They all watched intently as the final vote was being tallied up.

"What...what is this..what's happening?" Junko cried, unable to believe what was happening. All three slots lined up, with Junko's face being the clear choice. The machine sparked and exploded, ending the class trials once and for good.

"The jig is up. Accept defeat!" Yuno said firmly.

"Well damn...that's...balls." was her only reply.

"So madam? How does it feel to be hoisted by your own petard?" Byakuya quipped.

"It feels...wow...after all of that planning...it feels...amazing!" she cried, adopting a blush on her face. She bit her lip, as she rubbed her body all over.

"Huh? Seriously?" Leon cried out.

"This despair is amazing, this is like some weapon grade despair, after all of that planning, it all comes crashing down. There is no greater feeling in the world! Now lets move onto the punishment!" She said.

"What? The whole point of this vote was to end this pointless murder. Junko, you may not be a walk in the park, you are outright insane in every single way shape and form, but deep down you don't want this. Have a little hope in your heart. No one has to die anymore." Yuno said.

"Shut the fuck up with that hope bullshit. After everything that's happened and all of the murder I have committed, you will not take this away from me, when hope leaves a bad taste in your mouth, there is nothing left to do but to give life a big fat kiss my ass!" she said, reaching toward the red button next to the throne.

"Upupupupu! Given the chance, I would have stopped at nothing to paint the world in this feeling, I guess it's my turn now...come to momma, sweet despair. There is nothing that I wouldn't want right now than to feel this agonizing despair...oh well, at least I get to go out in style." she cried, laughing boisterously as she slammed her fist on the button.

" _ **Junko Enoshima has been found Guilty. Preparing Execution."**_

All was quiet, as Junko stood tall and proud on top of a school chair, holding Monokuma in her arms, waving at her classmates, waving at the world. Behind her, the pieces of every single execution that had been used in her sick game started appearing, assembling behind her, along with a banner, wishing her well in the afterlife.

 _ **The Ultimate Most Despair Inducing Punishment!**_

 _ **Biker's Haven**_

Junko's face split into a grin as she drove Mondo's motorcycle through the obstacle course, ignoring the fact that several flamethrowers were spouting plumes of flames at her. She hit the end of the road, slamming into the wall and falling into acid tank, giggling like a school girl when the acid made contact with her skin.

 _ **Chihiro's World**_

Suddenly finding herself in a retro video game, Junko did absolutely nothing, as the enemies kept firing at her. Arrows, hammers, gunfire, she ran through it all. She jumped over a large pit, landing in sharpened spikes. She screamed joyously as they were driven through her feet and her legs, pink blood oozing from the new holes.

 _ **Million Fungoes**_

Thick chains wrapped around her body, strapping her to a pole in the middle of a baseball field, as a large pitching machine spun around her, pelting her with white baseballs. Blood was pouring out of her in droves now, but the smile never left her face. She looked up, glaring at Makoto and Yuno, who's looks of horror seemed to fill her with even more despair.

 _ **Detention**_

The final punishment had finally arrived, as Junko was sitting on a school desk, the smile on her face never leaving. She held Monokuma tightly in her grasp, holding up a peace sign as the trash compacter slammed into the ground. The compacter stopped for a brief second when she was finally under it, causing her to look up in confusion, only for it to crush her body, sending vibrant pink blood in all directions. As such was the end of their captor, the Ultimate Fashionista, the Ultimate Despair was no more.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Yuno opened the gate, slowly walking toward the other end of the execution chamber. He really didn't want to be in there, being in there once was enough, and he was honestly lucky to have been able to survive through it.

Dodging the baseballs and acid patches that littered the ground, he made his way to the trash compacter, which was slowly rising back to it's original spot. Blood was dripping everywhere he looked, it was on the ground, the walls, the ceiling, truly a testament of such a gruesome death. And there, lying in a pool of her own blood was the now deceased Ultimate Fashionista. He knelt down in front of her, lowering his gaze.

"Junko, I have no idea what it was that made you do all of this, what made you love despair so much. It makes no sense to me, but I suppose knowing and understanding are two different things. I just want you to know, that whatever you did here, it's all over and I don't hold you responsible for anything. All of our friends died, sure...and you may have been the one to dish out their deaths, but it won't do me good to hold a grudge on you forever." he said.

He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her out of the machine she had been in. he lay her down on the ground, away from all the blood. Taking off his blazer, he placed it over her body. He noticed there was something in her hand, a big remote with a bright red button. It was then that he noticed her arm hadn't been under the machine. He took it from her grasp and stood up, looking at his friends.

"You guys ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Hell yeah man, don't keep us waiting!" Leon said. Yuno walked over to them, handing the button over to Makoto.

"Wait for me at the front entrance alright? I have to go up to the Data Processing Room to get my daughter." he said firmly.

"Will do, hurry back." he said cheerfully, escorting everyone toward the elevator. Sayaka stood by him, ignoring all of the blood he had gotten on his hands and clothes.

"It's finally over isn't it?" she whispered.

"Not yet. Come on, there's someone the two of us have to meet." he said.

Leaving the class trial room for the final time, everyone stared heading toward the main entrance, after gathering a few necessary things. If the world truly had gone to hell, it would have been better to be prepared than to walk into the new world with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Once that was done, Yuno and Sayaka walked up to the Fourth Floor, stopping in front of the Data Processing Room. With a firm nod, he opened the door, walking into the room.

He looked around, seeing all of the live footage from inside the academy, though all of the footage of the outside wasn't being captured anymore. He walked over to the control panel, looking at everything. He saw the Weapon's override button and pressed it, shutting off the armament that had been installed on the outside of the academy. He really wished he could see the outside world, but after everything Junko had shown them, he really wasn't looking forward to it.

"I don't see a room in here." Sayaka said, looking around.

"It's here, trust me. This is where Junko spent all of her time messing with us." he said, looking around the panel.

He notice something glittering on top of the console, a Monokuma themed key. He grabbed it, and looked at the teeth, searching for a slot that matched it. Finally finding it, he slipped it inside and turned it. A loud puff of air sounded throughout the room, coming from the very back, as the wall opened up, revealing a plain looking door. Yuno and Sayaka shared a look, before walking over to it. He was about to reach for the knob, only to stop a few inches from it.

"I'm nervous...what if she doesn't like me?" he said, looking at his girlfriend.

"Please, what isn't there to like? I know it will be hard but...we'll handle raising her. Hmm, I just thought of something, since we came to this academy at the age of sixteen, how old would we be now?" Sayaka asked, tilting her head in thought.

"I'm willing to bet we would all be around nineteen or so. Leon is the oldest of us at twenty." he said.

"It's crazy...seeing as we all just...lost three years of our lives like that." she replied.

He nodded, finally steeling his courage. He rose his fist to knock on the door, when it suddenly flew open, revealing the three year old Junko. She stood there, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Momma, are you back yet?" she asked softly, looking up at the two.

"Wait...who are you two?" she asked after a second.

Yuno was surprised that this little girl could talk so clearly, then again she was the daughter of Junko Enoshima, a woman who had proven to be very very perceptive and intelligent.

"I'm Yuno, and this is Sayaka. We're um..." He paused, not knowing how to answer.

"Yuno? Are you Yuno? Momma told me my daddy was named Yuno, are you him?" she asked. He gave her a nod, trying to hold back his tears. Her eyes brightened up and she jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Yay! I'm so happy to finally meet you daddy. Momma said so many nice things about you, where is she? She probably wants to talk to you!" She said happily.

"Oh...sweetie...your mom...she's...not with us anymore. She did some bad things, and in the end she ended up being killed. I'm so sorry." he said.

"Momma is...gone?" she asked quietly. He nodded, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry." he whispered.

The little girl jumped out of his arms, walking back into the room. For a second, the two of them thought she wasn't going to come back out, but instead, she returned, with a small pink backpack, some socks, a pair of black boots and a jacket. Wordlessly, she handed the socks to him, sitting down on the ground.

"Momma told me if something happened to her, that I would have to leave the academy. There's a letter in my backpack that she asked me to give to you." she said.

Yuno nodded, handing the pack to Sayaka, who started sifting through it. Yuno easily put the socks on the girl's tiny feet, and then helped her into her boots. She stood up, putting the over sized jacket onto her body, pulling her long strawberry blonde locks out from inside it.

"Here's the letter." Sayaka said, handing the pink envelope to Yuno.

He stood up, looking at it oddly. He slipped his finger under the flap, slowly tearing it open. He pulled the folded piece of paper from within. Junko's handwriting was flawless, a beautiful work of art, though with her abilities, he couldn't guess if this was one of her many hidden talents.

" _Dear Yuno,_

 _I'm sure that by now you've found out the truth behind Hope's Peak Academy, and everything that I've done has come crashing down. Hell, I'm probably dead already, and knowing you, you probably tried forcing some hope down my gullet. Sorry, but that will never happen, Hope is the worst thing ever created on this planet, and I'll die with honor and despair in my heart. However, I have but one request, take care of our little girl...I know you won't remember ever having her, and that's because I took your memories of our first encounter. Sorry to say, but you weren't the only love I had in my life, you were just a means to an end, but when I got pregnant with your child...I don't know...I suppose I saw a sliver of Hope on the forefront of my mind. I suppose it was the little runt growing in me though, so I tended to ignore it. Her name, as you most likely know, is Junko...just like me, a beautiful name if I do say so myself. But, if you hate me at the end of this letter, then I'll be happy to share that her middle name is Francheska, so you can drop her first name and stomp it into the ground, nothing would make me happier._

 _You'll probably be asking yourself why, why in the blazes would I do this, and the answer is simple. Hope leaves nothing to be desired, but Despair, sweet despair leaves so much more. It spreads like a plague, taking over the minds of the young and old alike. Nothing will stop despair, and nothing did. I spared our daughter of it all, never told her anything about who I was or what I had done. No matter what you want to call me, you can't deny that I wasn't a good mother. Her life is in your hands now, yours and Sayaka's...you have my blessing to call her your child, because she is your child._

 _One more thing, you may not believe it, but I guess I did have feelings for you in the past. When we met at that bus stop so long ago, I didn't just see Despair walking in front of me, I didn't just want to see your handsome face full of despair, to see those eyes of yours just blink out of existence, and stop worshiping hope all together, I saw a handsome young man, who was as lonely as they came. You loved your job as a Private Investigator, but don't deny that you wanted more. I could have been what you needed, but alas, I was too far gone before we could even start. I may be the Queen of Despair, but even despair loving idiots like me have emotions. I love you Yunosuke Kirigiri, I always have and I always will._

 _Forever and Always,_

 _Junko Enoshima Kirigiri."_

Yuno grit his teeth, crumpling the paper in his hands. He couldn't believe what he had just read. He didn't want to believe any of it, but the more he read, the more feelings he felt in his heart. He felt something inside it, and tipped the envelope over, a single ring falling into his hand. He vaguely recognized it, from one of the pictures. It was Sayaka's ring. He smiled and folded the letter back, stuffing it in it's envelope. He shoved it in his pocket, wiping eyes free of tears, and turned to the little girl.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Mhmm...let's go daddy! I want to see the outside world...Momma said it probably wouldn't be what I dreamed it would be, but I don't care. I'm going to keep my hopes up!" she said.

"Before we go, here Sayaka. I guess before all of this, I proposed to you...so this ring belongs to you." he said, handing it to the girl. She looked at it, a smile on her face.

"I...remember a bit of this ring. You gave it to me, the day it all ended...you wanted me to know how much you loved me." she said, slipping it on her finger. She wanted to take off the Hope's Peak Academy ring he had given her, but felt it meant too much to actually take it off.

He shared a smile with Sayaka and lifted the little girl up, holding her close to himself. The two teenagers turned to leave the Data Processing Room, walking back toward the Entrance Hall of the Academy.

It was hard for them to get used to at first, the fact that an innocent child had been raised in this academy, and hadn't even seen a single thing from the outside, but after their introductions, they couldn't help but fall in love with the little girl. She was everything Yuno was to them, a ray of hope, and they could see it on her features. She may look like a younger version of Junko, but she definitely acted like Yuno, and that was for certain.

"Well, this is it you guys. Are you ready for our final trial?" Yuno asked, looking at everyone.

"What are you talking about? We already passed our final trial, there aren't any other trials." Leon said.

"What he means is, are you ready to leave this academy? To face the final trial of the outside world." Makoto said.

"I was born ready. I'm sick of this hellhole." Hina said.

"As am I. This institution may have been filled with hope at one point, but as of now, it is nothing but a shell of it's former self, and I don't want to remain here any longer. Besides, I have a new Goddaughter that needs to learn the difference between NASDAQ and Dow Jones!" Byakuya said, smiling at little Junko.

"Come on, you are not filling her mind with that rich heir lingo. We don't need another Affluent Progeny running around." Sayaka said.

"We'll need to find some medical supplies. We have tons of stuff from the office here, but we don't have any flu shots. It would be bad if she got sick." Mikan said, holding a bag in her hands, filled with medical supplies. Similarly, Hina was carrying one filled with food.

"We'll find some. I'm sure of it." Yuno said, hugging the little girl tightly against his body.

He reached for the remote in Makoto's hand, and turned the key, flicking the two switches next to it. The red button started blinking repeatedly, signaling that it was on.

"The last class trial is over, Hope's Peak Academy is no more, and we are finally free, to face whatever is out there." he said, looking at the others.

"The first thing I am going to do is find myself a donut shop and binge. I've been craving donuts for the longest time now." Hina said, already imagining the sweet confection.

"Seriously? Do you not think of anything but those blasted teeth rotting bundles of wheat and flour?" Taeko asked.

"Oh please, you just want to find your cat so you can pamper him. Poor Leon will most likely get stuck on Litter duty!" the swimmer said.

"Ew gross, I am not picking up cat shit after all the crap I've been through." the orange haired teen exclaimed.

"Hey man, there's a kid here." Makoto said.

"Sorry." the baseball star said.

"No worries. After all the shit we've been through, I don't care if she starts swearing, that's the least of our worries." Yuno said, a smile on his face.

"I have to say, it feels weird leaving the academy, after everything that's happened, and us sealing ourselves in. Makes me wonder if we truly are making the right choice." Kyoko said.

"Of course we are, we got more chances out there than in here. Sure, they'll be despair, but hope is waiting patiently too." Makoto said.

"With you and Yuno leading the charge, that's certainly a possibility." Sayaka said.

"With us leading the charge huh?" Yuno thought, sharing a look with the Ultimate Lucky Student.

"Hey, why is it that your eyes are different now?" Hina asked, looking at Yuno.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"She's right dear Yuno. Your right eye is lilac, while your left eye is a brilliant blue." Taeko said, handing him her mirror. He looked at his reflection, seeing his eyes for the first time in awhile. He had very distinct plus signs in his eyes, crossing over his pupils. It was as they said, the colors were different.

"I guess that means Yunosuke Nagahama and Hisashi Kirigiri became one person. We overcame Despair, and became Ultimate Hope...that's what I think anyway." he said with a shrug.

"Well, before anything else. I'd like to say congratulations!" Makoto said, earning curious looks from his friends.

"Hmm...what for?" Ryouko asked curiously.

"It is our graduation, isn't it?" he replied, earning a nod from the Analyst, a smile on her face.

Without a second thought Makoto pressed the button. The alarms on the sides of the doors started ringing loudly, the large machine guns pointed at the door became deactivated, and were pulled back into the ceiling. The doors slowly started opening, the bright golden light of hope blinding them slightly, as they were slowly getting a glimpse into the outside world, for the first time in over a year.

" _Hope never dies. Not if we don't let it...yes, the world is scary, and it'll take courage. Courage isn't about being scared, it's about being scared, and finding the hope to continue. In the end, Hope opens doors...and we...we walk through them."_

 _ **xxx**_

"Fuck, the last class trial is starting, we won't be able to make it back in time!" Daisuke cried out, glancing at the large monitors all throughout Towa city.

Everyone who was out on the streets couldn't help but stare at what was being broadcast. After all, it wasn't a secret that everyone in Towa city had been watching the School Life of Mutual Killing, ever since it's debut three months prior. Hiyoko stopped briefly, looking at the screen as Byakuya started the trial off.

"Forget about it now, we won't be able to capture Kanade Izayoi if we don't focus. We're almost at the shrine, once we bag her, he can head back. Sonia will understand." she said, earning a nod from him.

The two of them raced through the wooden doors, running up the stairs, their gun's already drawn. Once they got to the top of the stairs, the looked around, eyes widening at the sight.

All around them, lied several dead bodies. It was clear that they had been there for weeks. The smell was horrible, and flies were buzzing around everywhere. A large billboard had been set up right above the temple, with a familiar young woman's face on it.

This young woman had short green hair, styled in a bowl cut. She had a bright red bow attached on the side of her head. She had soft features, a button nose and bright red lips. Her eyes once a shade of bright gold, were now nothing more than a horrifying crimson. The girl was wearing a black tee shirt, with Rob Zombie's face on it. In her hand was a high tech looking camera, along with a microphone. A howling laugh entered their ears, and they looked around, trying to find the source.

"Well well well, if it isn't my old buddies from high school. How's it hanging?"

Daisuke looked up at the temple roof, seeing the figure of a young woman standing at the top. She had a smirk on her face, and was holding a camera in her hands. This was her, the ex-Ultimate Tabloid Reporter, Kanade Izayoi.

"What the hell is all this? Kanade this isn't like you!" Daisuke said.

"Pfft, like me? These people didn't want to listen to my reports. They didn't want to listen to the amazing news I got from my favorite celebrities, so I had to teach them not to mess with me." she said firmly.

"You killed all these people, and for what? They did nothing wrong!" Daisuke said.

"They did plenty wrong, and now it's time for you to go down. Lady Junko asked me to bring the two of you down if it's the last thing I did. So it's time for me to do just that." she said.

She laughed snapping her fingers, instantly, several Despairites appeared all around them, all of them wearing those Monokuma masks they had grown to hate. All of them had cameras around their necks, which started flashing brightly, their flashes served to disorientate them.

"Boys, take care of these wretches." Kanade cried out, breaking into a boisterous laugh. Daisuke raised his gun, trying to take aim at them.

"Aim for the red part of the helmet, that will take them down. Remember their still people, just brainwashed people. We don't want to kill them." Hiyoko said, already firing into the crowd.

As if to add insult to injury, Kanade's billboard changed, featuring the final class trial. It seemed as if she wanted to see the outcome of it, after all she was an Ultimate Despair now. Daisuke took aim at the nearest person, firing right at the red scar like eye on their helmet. The person dropped like a sack of bricks, not moving again. He did the same with several others.

"Hiyoko, they are still alive right?" he asked.

"Yeah, these devices, it seems that when they stop working right, they just put the wearer into a coma. We haven't been able to take them off anyone yet." she replied.

"Shit, that's just what I needed to hear. It just like killing them." he said.

"Not just like killing them, you are killing them, and all of this is going straight onto the news feed. Just think, everyone in Towa city will see their saviors as murderers, it's a win win for all of us." Kanade said, taking several pictures of them.

Daisuke grit his teeth, and rose his gun, aiming at the Ultimate Despair he once called a friend. He fired right at her, only for her to dodge everyone. Instead he hit the billboard, causing it to short out. The stand exploded, causing the whole thing to rock to the sides.

"Uh oh, this might be a good time for me to leave. What a shame, I wanted to stick around longer. Ricardo, I require your assistance!" she called out, speaking into what looked like a walkie talkie.

Out of nowhere, a large marionette made it's way into the shrine. Daisuke and Hiyoko looked up, only to see the biggest Monokuma they had ever laid eyes on, holding said marionette. Ricardo was standing on it's head, a remote in his hand.

"Well, this wasn't the meeting I had in mind, but I can't hang around forever. We will meet again Daisuke Del Rio, Hiyoko Saionji, and when we do, both of you will bow down to despair." he said.

He cackled as he moved the Monokuma away from the shrine, heading toward the city. Their eyes widened as they kept going, punching one of the nearby buildings. The screams of people started filling their ears. The cables holding the now flaming billboard finally snapped, sending the entire thing tumbling to the ground, killing any of the Despairites near them. Almost on cue, an army of Attack Monokuma's came out from the temple, running straight toward them.

"Holy shit, run!" Daisuke cried.

He ran taking a hold of Hiyoko's hand as he forced her to run. The two of them raced down the stairs, closing the wooden doors after them, to no avail. Not pausing for even a single breath, the two of them dove right into a nearby Restaurant, closing the doors behind them. All of the patrons inside gave them weird looks.

"Everyone, I need to ask you to leave. A horde of mechanical bears is coming after us, their highly dangerous and their going to stop at nothing to kill you. Please, make your way to the back, before its too late." Daisuke cried. They all just looked at him, as if he had grown a dick on his face.

"Are you going to sit around and just stare? Fucking move, unless you wanna die!" Hiyoko snapped.

"Sir, Madam, I am going to have to ask you to leave. You are disturbing the patrons and are causing a scene in this fine establishment." an older man, dressed in a pressed silk suit said, firmly. Daisuke stood up, grabbing a handful of the man's suit, pulling him close to himself.

"Listen to me man, these things don't stop. All of you are in danger, fucking run or something! I will not stand here and watch you die!" he said.

"Security, please escort these two out of the restaurant." the man said simply. Another man walked over to them, glaring at the two.

"Come on, you've overstayed your welcome." he said.

Just as he was about to open the door, an Attack Monokuma burst through the glass, it's sharp claws stabbing right into his skull. Daisuke grit his teeth, grabbing Hiyoko's hand.

"Come on!" he said, pulling her along.

All of the windows burst, an the Monokuma's started making their way inside. Daisuke burst into the kitchen, startling the workers as they raced through the kitchen, running right through the back door. Once outside, they got a good look around, their eyes widening at what they saw. The light blue skies they had seen, were now as crimson as the skies they were used too. Several buildings were on fire, and the large Monokuma that Ricardo was piloting was busy destroying all of the tall buildings in the area. He grit his teeth, taking off up the street.

"What the hell is going on?" Hiyoko cried out.

"It seems those two came here for a reason. Now that all of their targets were taken care of, they started their true plan, to bring this city to it's knees. We can't waste time, I know Sonia said that we couldn't set the captives of the killing game free, but if we don't do something, those two will kill them all." he said.

"But what about Yuno, and Makoto and everyone at Hope's Peak?" She asked. He was about to reply, when they saw one of the monitors, displaying the live feed from the academy.

" _ **Junko Enoshima was found Guilty. Preparing Execution."**_

"It's ending...do you know what this means?" Daisuke asked firmly.

"When Junko Enoshima dies, despair will go with it...but as long as our friends are out there, it will not end. They will hold her on a pedestal, as their martyr. They will worship her like a Goddess, and that will make everything ten times worse on our end. I'm sorry Daisuke, but we need to head back to Hope's Peak Academy, before it's too late." Hiyoko said.

"But...the captives." he said, looking back.

She sighed, pulling him into a kiss. She hugged him tightly, pulling something from around her back. She pulled away, placing the device in his hands.

"This is a Hacking Gun developed by the Togami Corporation. It's still a prototype, but it's proven useful against the Monokumas. This will help you take them down as you go through the city. I expect to see you alive by the time I come back." she said, giving him a wink.

"I understand...we should have had sex while we were still at HQ." he said, a frown on his face. She kissed his cheek, a smirk on her face.

"Don't worry, once all of the captives are over, you can fuck me for as long as you want, and trust me, Sonia's bed won't be the same after we're done with it. I love you."

"I love you too Hiyoko, stay safe...get them to daylight." he said, running off into the city

She sighed, her heart aching as she saw the love of her life plunge himself into danger once more. She shook her head, pulling out her cellphone. She pressed the side button, speaking into the speaker.

"Code Red, I repeat, Code Red, we have a 1045 in progress, Towa city has fallen, I repeat...Towa city has fallen, requesting immediate transportation to rendezvous point Alpha beta niner." she said.

"Copy that General Saionji. ETA 12 Minutes, over and out!"

"Even if you die Enoshima, I will get my revenge on you. You tainted my classmates, turned them into monsters, and for that, I will never forgive you." she said, looking at the screen, just as the compactor crushed her body, bathing the screen in her blood.

Her eyes flashed red, a giggle escaped her lips, as the cause of her misery finally met her end. Even though the one who started it all had finally been claimed by the throws of death, she knew it wouldn't be the end, not by a long shot. In the battle of Hope and Despair, Hope may win the battle, but Despair won the war. It would take way more than killing the face of Despair in order to paved the path to Hope, and honestly, Hiyoko wasn't looking forward to it, not a single bit.

She didn't know why, but she felt the need to go back...she needed to go back, to see her again. She was dead, despair was slowly going to die...but she needed to see her one last time. Junko Enoshima needed to be remembered, even though she had hope for the future, the world could always use an extra dose of despair.

 _ **Chapter 6 Goodbye Academy of Hope: End**_

 _ **Surviving Students 10**_

 _ **Surviving Remnants of Despair:**_

 _ **Class 77: 16**_

 _ **Class 79: 2**_

 _ **Omake:**_

A small groan escaped her lips, as her alarm started blaring in her ear. Her dainty hand slammed down on the off button, almost breaking the poor device, as the room was once again thrown into silence. She rolled over, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the day. Sighing to herself, she got up, stretching her tired limbs, her long chocolate brown locks falling down to her mid back. Her vibrant pink eyes scanned around the room, lazily focusing on their surroundings.

She yawned loudly, getting out of her bed, the white tee shirt she was wearing barely covering her clearly visible pink underwear. She walked into the adjacent bathroom, opening the tap water. She splashed some onto her face, waking herself up a bit more. She dried her face off, looking at herself in the mirror.

Staring back at her, was a beautiful young woman, of seventeen with a light complexion, and a bright pink eyes. She had a small nose, and full pink lips, which bore a frown on them. It had been a long time since she had smiled. She grabbed her tooth brush, slathering the generic tooth paste onto it before sticking it in her mouth, not bothering to wet the brush first. She tugged at her hair, it was becoming long and unruly, but she didn't have the luxury of getting it cut, she hadn't had it cut for three years, aside from the times she had to do it herself.

After she was done brushing her teeth, she took off her shirt, tossing it into the pile of dirty clothes, followed by her underwear. Even though she was seventeen years of age, she had the curves of an adult woman, she hated to admit it, but they had attracted a lot of attention to her, especially due to her line of work as an Idol.

Of course, everyone always payed attention to her older sister, something that her fellow band mates hated, but when she was the front man of their group, the leading lady, it was obvious everyone would pin after her. When they shared the stage with the great Sayaka Maizono, none of them were going to get half of the comments she would. Then again, being related to her did have it's advantages.

Being in the same middle school for one. Black Root Junior High had been her chosen institution, though she wished to have been selected into Hope's Peak Middle School, so she could have her own Super Middle School Level title, but since her older sister already had the title of Ultimate Pop Sensation, she knew she had a snowballs chance in hell of getting into Hope's Peak Academy. Still, she could only dream. After getting out of the shower, she grabbed her fluffy pink towel, and dried herself off, walking into her bedroom. She pulled out a set of her normal clothes.

Once on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was a short girl, being five foot four for her age, something that annoyed her, as everyone literally looked down on her. She was wearing a ruffled black tank top, with thick black shoulder straps. The top was a bit silky, and decorated with round white dots, all over. If it had been red and black, surely people would have called her Ladybug or something close to that.

She was also wearing a ruffled white satin mini skirt, which was in fact so short, that if her father caught her in it, she would get her ass beat for sure.

She was wearing a pair of pale pink tights underneath it, along with a pair of black laced boots. Finally, she had brushed her hair free of tangles, pulling it behind her head in a high ponytail, tying it with a red and white ribbon. She combed her bangs, letting them fall over her right eye, as she grabbed a strand of hair and tied it into a small braid, using a black hair tie to keep it from unraveling. Sighing to herself, she gave the reflection a nod.

" _You might all think that all of this dressing up serves a purpose...but to me, this morning routine is only something that keeps me sane. I haven't spoken to another human being in so long, you might think I'm a hermit or something. Oh oh, but I promise, I'm not a hermit, after all I don't have a chin beard, and I don't smell like sweat and dirt, and I don't live under a bridge!"_

The brown haired girl stood in her lavish living room, staring down the metal door that was currently keeping her imprisoned within the tiny apartment.

" _It's just...if I lie down and don't keep focus, don't keep my hopes up, I'll never see the outside world again. You see, it's been three years since I've been here. One second, I'm with my band mates, holding a charity concert, and the next, I'm being kidnapped. I don't know the reason why, but it has something to do with all of those disappearances that I heard about, before any of this happened."_

She stretched her arms, cracking her neck and loosening her leg muscles. She popped her back, moaning a bit at the pleasurable feeling she got when she did. Her face became serious as her pink eyes focused on the door in front of her.

" _Several people in my school went missing, and people started killing themselves for no reason. I remember, wishing my older sister good luck as she entered her new semester at Hope's Peak Academy, but that was the last time I ever saw her. When I woke up, I found myself here...this little apartment has been my life for the last year and a half. I'm an above average girl, in a not so average situation!"_

She broke into a sprint, letting out a shout as she dropped kicked the door. One would think the door flew off it's hinges, but it held true. She spat at the ground standing up as she delivered several more kicks to it.

"Let me outta here! Do you know who I am? I am Yukki Maizono. If someone finds out I've been kidnapped, your sorry asses will be in big trouble. Let me go, right now!" she screamed, pounding the door.

" _This pointless resistance, all part of the routine. I know that one of these days, this door will open. And I'll get to see my captor for the first time, and when I do, I'll deliver a firm kick to their balls, for keeping me captive for so long. Maybe, today will be my Lucky day. I can only hope right?"_

Suddenly, as she was about to deliver another fierce kick to the door, she heard the handle rattle. She backed away from it for a second, eyes narrowed.

"Hello? Anyone out there? I could really use some help right about now!" she cried out, her dulcet smooth and calm.

She suddenly let out a scream, as three sharp claws punctured right through the metal door. The claws were pulled down, leaving a wide gash in the door, and she could see a glowing red light just beyond it. She backed away, wishing she had a baseball bat or a golf club, anything to defend herself with. The door cried as it was twisted and then pulled right from it's hinges. Her eyes widened when she saw the black and white bear, looking right at her, that malicious grin, those sharp teeth. In that moment, she felt nothing but fear, nothing but fear and despair.

" _My name is Yukki Maizono, and I'm about to be thrown into a world devoid of Hope. For three years I've been sitting here, living a normal life, but what would greet me beyond those walls would be nothing short of normal. In fact, you could say that the thing that would great me, would be nothing more than a massive dose of despair!"_

 _ **To be continued in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls...**_


End file.
